


People Like Us

by LostInTheThicket



Series: People Like Us: The Making Of [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Future Fight (Video Game), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Band Fic, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Male-Female Friendship, Marvel 616/MCU Crossover, Mild Language, Minor Original Character(s), Song Lyrics, references to other fandoms - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInTheThicket/pseuds/LostInTheThicket
Summary: After the events ofThe Calling, Mickey Villanueva gets a nice surprise by some of his old Avengers Academy friends in his apartment. He shares a bit of a surprise of his own, regaling the tale of how his second alter-ego, Sidechain, started her own band. The story takes some wild, fun, and crazy turns, revealing a certain secret that might change the multiverse.Learn how five unlikely allies, friends, and bandmates rock and sock their problems away! (Spoilers: Into the Spider-Verse)





	1. Prologue (Misfits)

**Author's Note:**

> See what happens when you listen to Rise Against and Billy Talent, Thicket? _sighs_
> 
> This story is just mindless, silly fun with a plot on the side. Honest. It's something my mind was thinking of, creating a weird band. So, yeah.
> 
> All feedback will be welcomed. :P

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A story begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, check it.
> 
> Chapter 1 will be getting a bit of a rewrite so that you guys get some _more_ information. Not a lot, but enough so that y'all won't get too confused. Well...that and my grammar issues were blatant. Sorry. :(
> 
> Lemme know what you think...if you like. :) EDIT: BTW, changed some terrible errors, so hope it reads cleaner than before.

The skies over Jamaica, Queens, New York is quite clear, the sun welcoming New Yorkers as they go about their lives. Alone in his apartment, however,  **Michaël 'Mickey' Villanueva** (now 28) -  **Soundclash -**  recent interdimensional fighter - decides to relax, conversing with one-half of his demonic life-partner  **Agares - Duke**.

"Eventually, I'm going to figure out what you want outta me, Agares," Mickey says, eyes glazed and focused at the ceiling.

In Mickey's mind, Duke chuckles with a rather wicked hint to it. _' **Heh. Don't worry, Boss. It won't be subtle.'**_

"Hey, remember our pact!" Mickey raises his finger to the ceiling. "Miss me with that evil shit or I will turn this metaphorical car right the fu--" Suddenly, they get interrupted by the rhythmic sounds of his doorbell. 

 _'_ _Eh? Who in the hell could that be?'_ Duke mutters to themselves _._

Mickey's hair and eyes fade back to their normal colours, his irises slightly shimmering in anticipation. "Let's find out," he says before walking to the door.

Opening it and making quite the startling sound, he steps back, hearing a familiar friend's greeting...

"Ava? Who's...Oh, sh--"

_"Hola!"_

* * *

Sometime later, Mickey finishes reconnecting with his friends from New Avengers Academy,  **Ava Ayala**  (26) and, surprisingly,  **Jennifer 'Jenny' Takeda**  (22) - White Tiger and Hazmat.

"Huh. You guys were definitely busy," he says before turning to Jenny with a frown. "Sorry about Kenny, _m_ _eine Freundin_."

Inside her containment suit, Jenny smiles softly. "It's okay, Mickey. He...sacrificed himself for us."

Thinking back to the demise of her beloved boyfriend Ken 'Mettle' Mack, Jenny lowers her head. She sees Ava consoling her with a pat on the shoulder. Silent but grateful, Jenny appreciates Ava's friendship with a smile.

Feeling helpless, Mickey stares at the ground. _'_ _At least those Big Hero 6 guys handled Arcade in time...'_

Repeating the gesture she gave to Jenny, Ava turns to Mickey. "By the way, the other half of 'M&M' says hello," she says with a smile.

Mickey nods with a warm grin, fondly remembering his old 'name buddy' Michiko 'Mickey' Musashi - Turbo. "Heh. Tell Turbo she still owes me a race. I've gotten faster since then."

The two ladies turn to each other. "What do you mean?" Ava says, slightly confused.

"Made a new pal." Mickey smiles, closing his eyes. "Well, 'pal' is a bit much, but...just hold on, you'll see."

In an instant, his hair slowly starts to expand from his bouncy curls to luscious locks, sporting pink and blonde hues. He opens his eyes, the colour of his irises white as snow. He speaks as his words are echoed by a soft-spoken, feminine voice as Mickey's friend introduces 'herself'.

"Greetings. I assume you're Michaël's friends," the entity says in a friendly tone. Stunned, Jenny and Ava nod. "Wonderful. I am Duchess Agares, but you two may know me better as Sidechain. You've probably heard of me on the news."

The two girls widen their eyes, recognizing the name.

"Yeah! You're that speedy chick with the tats, right?" Jenny points to Sidechain's tattoos, similar to Mickey's.

Sidechain nods, admiring her tattoos. "Correct. This is a rare occurrence for me, so allow me to say it is a _pleasure_ that you helped Michaël change his fate. I'm glad for that."

Wide-eyed, Jenny grins. "Thaaaaanks. Um, quick question. Who - or what - are you?"

"I am a demon," Sidechain replies in a matter-of-fact tone. "A devil, technically. A Grand Duchess of Hell, to be more precise. Oh, and the one that saved Michaël's life. Twice."

She hears Mickey grumble in his head, letting it pass with a content smile.

Ava makes a hilariously stupefied face. _"¿Estás loco?"_

Sidechain turns to her as she chuckles softly. "Ah,  _pero digo la verdad, mi hermana_   _(but I'm telling the truth, my sister)."_  

Ava gasps with a surprised expression as Sidechain, proud she stunned Ava's mind, continues.

"As I mentioned before, my true name is Agares. However, formalities are trite, so I prefer the Duchess. Sidechain, as well, if you prefer that. After all, I am the Duchess to Soundclash's Duke. But I must depart for now. My time here is limited after a while, but we will talk soon. I promise."

With an odd yet somewhat warm smile, Sidechain's interesting locks fade as Mickey reverts back to his original looks.

"That's the Duchess. She emerged during my time in that other world I talked about with you, Ava," he says with a grin. "She taught me a lotta cool shit. She's all friendly and stuff, but she's secretly a sassy hellcat. She's _fun."_

Ava stutters, surprised by the event. "L-like what?"

Jenny nods, looking at Mickey with an expression of disbelief. "Yeah. This is...kind of a lot to take in."

"Well, there are a few things like what you've seen on the news," Mickey says. "Uh, she's quick and stuff, but you knew that. She talks funny, but you knew that, too." In Mickey's mind, he hears Sidechain huff before muttering obscenities. Ignoring it, he continues. "She also swaps places with me when we feel like it."

The two girls nod in acknowledgement before Mickey chuckles.

"But, I gotta tell you this. She...Heh, she's also part of an alt-rock cover band. _We_ are. I didn't know about it until the second she planned it."

"What?!" Stunned, Jenny and Ava shout in unison, looking at each other.

Suddenly, Sidechain re-emerges. "We also helped save the world," she says. "Actually, I _might_ have some free time after all. It _truly_ is a wild, funny-ass story..."


	2. A New Tune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidechain's quick introduction to Mickey; the first meeting between unlikely friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What am I doing? Uh, I can't stop. I love this too much. Eeeeeeeee...

Sidechain happily sighs, remembering the event. "It officially started when I experienced the world through Michaël's eyes for the first time…"

* * *

_Stepping out of his shower, Mickey felt refreshed._

_In his mind, he was still Mickey. Nothing really changed despite the lessons he learned. In his heart, however, he felt like a new man._

_Despite his turbulent life in the world of crime, he still felt like redeeming himself. He realized he changed, earning a sense of responsibility to protect others. As Mickey cleaned up, he recalled the promise he made to his friend, Sakura: to fulfill his desire to help and inspire others like him to redeem themselves and believe in their own dreams._

_Although he was right back at square one in this world, it didn't matter to Mickey._

_Not anymore._

_Because as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror, he smiled, liking himself a little bit. It was a smile born out of relief, realizing he completed his own trial by fire in the world beyond the Divide._ _As Mickey viewed his own reflection, though, little did he know that his path was just beginning..._

_"Yo. Your life ain't done, man," Mickey said to himself as he leaned over the counter. "Be someone more. Keep your word to everyone, especially Ryu and Sakura. You're—"_

_"Here for this."_

_Suddenly, his irises turned white, his hair transforming into longer, pink-and-white locks as another voice emerged._ _His voice was echoed by a familiar – but oddly unknown – voice, soft and feminine in nature._

**_'Um, hey…'_ **

_"It's been a while, hasn't it, Michaël?" the entity said with a smile._ _Her voice was pleasant and it had a bit of an indistinguishable accent._ _In his own mind, Mickey felt like a stranger meeting someone for the first time._

Mickey grinned, though it was a bit of a nervous smile. _**'Y**_ _ **ou could say that** ,' he echoed. ' **You showed up in Sakura's world, right? When we fought Gill?'**_

_The entity nodded. "I did. I felt you were ready to wield my power and, more importantly, my...care and guidance."_

_Mickey was stunned, to say the least._   _ **'**_ ** _Who the hell are you, Soundclash?'_**

_'She' chuckled. "Ah, I see Gill gave you quite the ass-beating, didn't he?"_

**_'No, he didn't—'_ **

_"Michaël…"_

_To Mickey, even this voice sounded like his abuela harassing him._ **_'_ _¡Ay! Fine, he did.'_ **

_The entity giggled, 'her' first impression capable of calming Mickey down._

_"Indeed, you know Soundclash by their true title and name: Grand Duke Agares. However, you don't know everything, Michaël. There is another side to Agares. Another half. Another entity: a Duchess."  The entity smiled wide, gesturing to herself. "I took up the moniker of Sidechain and you...sort of overwhelmed me during the night when you lost control." She watched Mickey with an observant eye, seeing the silence as she continued. "Nevertheless, charmed to finally meet your acquaintance."_

_Using Mickey's body, **Duchess Agares -**   **Sidechain** \- bowed to Mickey's stunned silence._

**_'…Duchess?! You mean you're not Agares, are—'_ **

_"I am still Agares, Michaël. Still one half of a whole badass leader of legions. Our magic and abilities saved you a couple of times, after all." She paused, head tilted to the side with a gentle smile. "Our name was – at a time – mispronounced as Agreas. I would prefer it if you called me Grey for short. It sounds…quaint," Grey said, her smile forming through Mickey's lips._

_**'Uh, um, o-okay, Grey. Despite the recent bit of news about you, thanks for helping me,'**_ _Mickey said._

_A warm feeling suddenly coursed through Mickey's body; unbeknownst to him, a small sigil of Agares - one that now took the place of his S.H.I.E.L.D. tattoo - formed on his back._

_"Aw, sweetheart, no need to thank us," Grey said, her smile jubilant. "We made a weird pact after all, but it was your journey! Think of us as your…devilish guide. Or guides."_

_**'And devilishly handsome** , **'** Duke joked, their slight, baritone voice interrupting the conversation._

_"Erm, right. By the way, your people should research devils and demons with a bit more intelligence." Grey saw Mickey frown before she raised her hand. "We're evil, yes. But we're not all doom and gloom death-dealers. We have ambitions and feelings, too! Those beyond dismemberment and enslavement!"_

_Duke feigned a cough, the sound lingering in Mickey's mind._

_Grey rolled her eyes through Mickey's body. "Well, not all of us. Take Duke, for instance!" They heard Duke grumble before Grey happily continued. "Anyways, I was hoping if I could ask for a favour, but I'm guessing you already know what it is."_

_Being inside of his own mind, Grey's request wasn't hard to guess for Mickey. He chuckled._ _**'Wanna see the world like old Duke here?'**  He watched Grey nod in excitement. **'C** **ool, alright. You're not goin' to damn me to hell if I say no, are ya?'**_

_"If you piss us off or endanger our bond, we will," Grey said in a strait-laced tone. "Or if you say no. Either way works for me."_

**_'Grey...'_ **

_"I'm joking. Sort of."_

_**'Well...the hell have I got to lose, huh? Alright, fine! What would you like to do?'** _

_"Well, Michaël, I'm a busy woman. But I have hobbies, too! Let's see…"_

_**'She likes to hear people sing, Boss** , **'** Duke piped in. _ _**'T** **he Duchess here can carry a tune as well, but - honestly speakin' - she bothers the shit outta me sometimes.'** _

_"Come now, Duke. We can't all be like that meandering fool Abaddon! I—" Grey stopped before she cleared 'her' throat. "Know what? Never you mind about that, Michaël…"_

**_'You...you can just call me Mickey, Grey,'_** _Mickey said, slightly taken aback at how his life has gotten to this point._

_"Why? I love your name." Grey smiled, the whites of 'her' irises slightly disturbing Mickey. "Besides, people would remember you more for your horrible eating habits than your name preferences."_

**_'Grey!'_ **

_"What? What are you going to do about it, hm? Remember. I can make you kick your own ass, you know." Mickey and Grey shared a quick laugh. "But I won't. Because I care about you, Michaël."_

_If anyone was around them, they would have accurately called Mickey crazy. Regardless, he was pleased that he met a new 'friend'. And judging from that same warm feeling, the almost familial-like attraction was mutual for Grey. It's been so long since he knew Duke, but now, meeting Grey felt like an opportunity for Mickey to form a new bond._

_Despite the warm feelings, though, Mickey wasn't one for fluffy moments all the time as he got things back on track. **'Alright, alright!**   **Let's start some shit we can't finish! Where do you wanna go?'**_

_"I'm not the best at saying this, but…thanks!" Grey smiled before she pondered. "We won't go far, Michaël. Let's go to L.A.!"_

_Duke chuckled, piping in once more. ' **Not a bad idea, Duchess! If anythin', Boss, it'll get your mind off of not dating you-know-who no more.'**_

_Mickey sighed, still upset over having to say goodbye to his first love. Decapre._ _**'It wasn't a bad breakup! Man, it wasn't even a breakup. Decapre and I just...said goodbye for now.'** Grey stared at the mirror, smirking at Mickey through his own eyes. **'Don't look at me like that** **!'**_

_"It's okay, sweetie. Because I'm here now! Let your demonic big sis take care of you."_

_With most of her demonic magic, she disguised Mickey's look, momentarily transforming him into a human version of her. All traces of Mickey's look were gone; the appearance of a freckled, fair-skinned woman appeared in the mirror with pink streaks in her platinum blonde hair._

_Needless to say, Duke and Mickey were shocked._

**_'Grey? How the hell did you—'_ **

**_'Duchess?! I don't know if—'_ **

_"You boys have your strengths," Grey said with a triumphant smile. "It's about damn time you met some of mine. It doesn't last forever, so let's do this shit, shall we?"_

_As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, though, Grey suddenly realized something more important than her own needs._

_"Wait! Shit? ...Oh, shit."_

_Mickey chuckled. **'Fo** **rgot about Elvira, did ya?'**_

_"Your beagle? I did. I apologize..."_

**_'Heh, no worries. C'mon, meine Freundin. I know the perfect gal to treat Ellie right...'_ **

* * *

"And that's what happened at the start of it all!" Grey sighs. "A good start, isn't it?"

Still taken aback by the sudden shock of the first meeting, Jenny shrugs her shoulders. "Um, okay, sure. Uh…Sidechain?"

"You know what? Call me Grey, actually, if you don't mind. But whatever works for you." Grey shrugs with a smile, now comfortable in her human guise.

Returning the smile with an awkward nod, Jenny continues. "Okay. …Grey."

"Yes, Jennifer?"

"Heh, it's, um, just…just Jenny. Uh, what would your first time meeting Mickey have to do with starting a band? Besides, L.A. is like a breeding ground for failed musicians."

Ava nods. "She's kinda right."

"I'm totally right! I have family  _from_ L.A., guys!"

Grey turns to Jenny, her smile confident and cheery. "I believe that coincidences are kind of bullshit. Fate? Well, that's also kinda bullshit. Life is more of a 50/50 mix with devils and demons. I simply…guided Michaël to a place and close to the right time. Sometimes, well, we devils can all make our own luck. Besides, I have a woman's intuition, too! I knew things would turn out well when I got what I wanted."

"Like what?" Ava says with a raised eyebrow. "What things?"

"Well, for one, we met the frontwoman of our band, Luna Snow, and--"

"Shut the hell up!" Jenny quickly takes off her containment helmet, prompting Grey to lean back. "You _didn't!"_

"I did…" Grey hesitates.  _'Um, Michaël?!'_

Judging from Mickey's stunned silence, Grey's eyes seem to bulge as she hears Mickey stammer.

**_'Huh. T-that's new...'_ **

_'That's…what?!'_

Ava raises her hand. "It's okay, Grey, it's okay!"

With a sheepish grin, a nervous Grey points at Jenny. "Um, I thought Michaël told me you were…"  She extends her hands out like a bomb.

"A radioactive bomb?" Jenny places the helmet on her lap. "Yep." She smiles, appreciating that Mickey even remembered her.

"Yes. Sorry, Jennifer."

"Don't be. I still am, but I can control my radiation a little bit. At first, it sucked ass, but now I'm getting the hang of it. I was actually thinking of getting some new clothes, but you probably wouldn't recognize me. You're all a hotshot…Wait!" Jenny giggles in disbelief, remembering Grey's comment. "You met Luna Snow and she was the lead singer of your band?!"

 _"Our_  band, but yes."

"Holy shit!"

Grey nods with a somewhat proud grin on her face. "As I said, life is stranger than fiction. But when you can take control of your life? When you can seize your moments? Take your desires with your own hands? Take it from someone like me: that's when it's awesome and _that's_ when it's showtime. And, well, when the lights were up for Michaël and yours truly…"

She leans forward as her two new friends mirror her excitement. Grey smiles.

"Well, that's when we shine the brightest."


	3. Grey California

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey's first time as...herself?
> 
> Also, Luna Snow kicks some A.I.M. ass. (Title inspired by Dani California by RHCP.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
> 
> It's 'bout to get real wild up in this bitch in a minute.
> 
> (Shout-outs to raunchyandpaunchy for beta'ing this chapter. You're the best! <3)

_She's a runner, rebel and a stunner_  
_On her merry way sayin', "Baby, what you gonna—?" -_ _Dani California, Red Hot Chili Peppers_

* * *

"How the hell did you and Mickey meet Luna?" Jenny says, eager and somewhat impatient.

Grey chuckles. "Well, it all started when I strolled through Los Angeles on a vacation, exactly like I said before. However, Michaël wanted me to take a bit of a detour first…"

* * *

_Before Grey could start her and Mickey's music-fueled vacation, she used her enhanced physiology and a portion of Mickey's sound manipulation to vibrate his molecules with highly concentrated soundwaves, quickly heading to Upstate New York. With Elvira in her arms, she zipped her way into the appropriately-titled New Avengers Facility. She marvelled at the impressive structure, walking briskly past security using Mickey's Sonoportation, her body looking like a colourful breeze._

_Upon arrival, Grey spotted two figures Mickey knew pretty well: a grouchy woman with red-and-white hair and an ebullient man with a three-piece suit, a custom watch, and a beaming smile._

_"Stark, the Avengers are dissolved, the Thunderbolts and Avengers Academy projects are history and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s...S.H.I.E.L.D's gone! You need to reconnect with Rogers and plan our next move."_

_"I already know my next move."_

_"Well, hell, Tony! What's our next move?"_

_"My next move is to spend this afternoon with some smooth jazz, something smoother to drink, and negotiating the smoothest deals on some nanotech, Melissa. It's my most ambitious project yet!"_

_Tony Stark and Mickey's friend and mentor **Melissa Gold** – Iron Man and **Songbird** – walked through the halls of the Facility, arguing over the fallout of the Avengers' Civil War. Suddenly, they are stopped in their tracks by a strange, pink-and-blonde-haired woman appearing out of nowhere._

* * *

"Wait. You didn't get caught?!" Ava asks, interrupting the story. Shaking her head, Grey wears a proud smile on her face. "How?"

Jenny nods. "Yeah! Trust us, that place is pretty well-guarded. Besides, couldn't you change back and have Mickey just stroll right in?

_Silence._

_"_ _Should I tell them, Michaël?"_ Grey says to Mickey in 'her' head. 

After 10 seconds, Mickey replies. **_'_ _Yeah. It's okay, meine Freundin. Better late than never.'_**

 _'Okay.'_  Grey frowns. "Michaël's expertise was the determining factor. It was 'all him', as he likes to put it." Grey shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders at Ava. "Mostly. I helped him, too, but that's irrelevant."

With a furrowed brow, Grey then turns to Jenny.

"But to answer your question, Jenny, we couldn't," she says. "Technically, Michaël couldn't. After what HYDRA and Zemo did to both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers respectively and - if I might add -  _disrespectfully,_  bonds were broken. He had a secret fondness for wanting to be on that team. He heard about their infighting...their dissolution. After all that happened in his life, to say that Michaël was upset would be an...understatement."

Ava nods. "Yeah, I know. I heard about what happened...around six months ago, I think."

"You knew about the incident with him and the robbers?"

"Yup." Ava frowns. "Tony's friend filled me in. That...Parker guy."

"Peter?" Grey frowns, seeing Ava nod. Silent, she closes her eyes, sharing a quick chat with Mickey before she opens them once more, staring at Ava. "Then you  know It's tough for Michaël to talk about it…"

Jenny and Ava frown, staring at each other while Grey continues with her story.

* * *

_"C'mon, Stark! I don't know if I—Whoa!" Melissa jumped up, extending her solid-sound wings out in defence._

_With a smile, Grey bowed, prompting her to don her own awkward smile in return._

_"Apparently, anyone can enter the Facility now," Tony said to Melissa before turning to Grey. "By the way, who are you and what's—"_

_"Ellie?" With a confused smile, Melissa pointed at the beagle and Grey. "You know Mickey?"_

_Grey nodded. "You could say that. I'm his cousin from Los Angeles. ...On his father's side. My name's Grey. Here's Elvira." She handed Elvira off to a slightly annoyed - but somewhat happy - Melissa._

_"Hm." Melissa gave Grey a measured stare, sizing her up. She nodded. "Alright. Fine, Grey. Just because I like Ellie here, I'll do it," she said, thinking of potentially walking the adorable black beagle with Abe Jenkins, her on-again, off-again partner. "But tell Goofy he owes me. Again."_

_"Goofy?"_

_"Inside joke." Melissa winked. "Mickey loves it."_

_**'No, I** **don't** , **'**  Mickey echoed to Grey. **'Y** **o** **u know that, Grey...'**_

_Melissa's keen eyes were trained on Grey as the latter giggled at what Elvira did next. With an adorable yelp, the beagle cuddled in the superheroine's arms, her wet nose nuzzling up to Melissa's chin. Melissa beamed, kissing Elvira's wet nose as her dimples showed, trying desperately to avoid Tony's gaze..._

_It failed._ _Tony lowered his glasses, wearing an amused smirk on his face._

_"Mich...Mickey wanted me to give her to you for the week," Grey said, sensing Tony was about to utter one of his quick and occasionally witty remarks. "He said we're going on a vacation and 'the dinner with Abe's still on the table'."_

_Melissa smiled wide, her jade-green eyes twinkling in delight at Mickey's promise. "Good. I trust him." She sighed. "Well, works for me!" She looked and pointed at Grey's hair, similar to her own. "Nice hair."_

_Grey smiled back. "You too!"_

_Feeling like a third wheel, Tony tried to do what he did best: be charming and redirect the conversation back to him._

_"_ _The beagle's cute. I love her floppy ears." He booped Elvira's nose, which earned him a surprising lick from the friendly beagle. Slightly perturbed, Tony used a passing employee to wipe the slobber off as he grinned. "She's absolutely adorable, alright. But back to my nanotech! It's extraordinary. I-"_

_Grey stopped him politely with a gentle smile. "Sorry, Anthony. I have to go. My family needs me!"_

_In a flash, she heads out of the Facility - but not before snagging a bagel from the cafeteria first._

_"It's okay. Have fun in Santa Mon-Wait. Did she call me Anthony? Wait! Does she have powers?! Grey? G-Grey?! She's gone. How did she-?" Tony turned to Melissa as she walked away, a napping Elvira in tow. "Can you believe her ...Melissa? Melissa?! C'mon!"_

* * *

"And that was the detour. I won't bore you with details about L.A." Grey says, turning to Jenny. "I'm sure you can tell Ava all about it."

"Heh, California's alright. I like San Francisco more than L.A., though. It isn't really special. It's just sunny all the time." Jenny shrugs her shoulders. She leans back on Mickey's couch with a grin. "Some of the guys are super hot, though."

The three ladies start to gossip about boys and men as Grey hears both Mickey and Duke clear their throats.

 _'Oh, hush,'_ Grey says in 'her' mind before she smiles, maintaining her devilish grace. "Anyways, back to my story. So there I was in L.A., enjoying a latte and a good book. Some men sought to court me, but I wasn't there for that." She pauses, looking at Jenny with a cheeky grin. "Besides, they were beneath me."

"There it is," Ava says as Grey giggles.

"It's true! Anyways, it was in Los Angeles that my intuition proved me right. I heard…" Now with a bit of a frown on her face, Grey suddenly uses her speed to check the windows and the front door. _'Is t_ _he coast clear?'_

 _ **'The coast is clear,'**_ Mickey confirmed, causing Grey to nod.

"Grey?" Jenny says, worried about Grey's sudden use of her and Mickey's powers.

Ava starts to activate her White Tiger Amulet. "Something wrong?"

"It's quite alright." Grey sits back down, whispering her next sentence. "...In L.A, I overheard a couple of people talking about A.I.M. making a possible return to the forefront."

In a second, Jenny and Ava sit straight up, each of them with concerned looks on their faces.

"After all that Killian did? After what the news said about them?" Jenny says. Grey slowly nods with a frown. "Wasn't HYDRA interested in A.I.M. a while back, too?"

"They were. It was...disconcerting to Michaël," Grey utters. "So, knowing that the Avengers were history and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s defunct, I investigated it myself to ease his worries."

* * *

_As A.I.M. agents conversed near Griffith Park, Grey was navigating their every move from a distance. She kept a watchful eye on the agents, avoiding prying eyes and wandering stares. Nothing would disrupt her impromptu reconnaissance mission as Grey started to creep closer to her targets._

* * *

"Being a leader of legions has its perks. One of those perks is knowing when others are planning something vile behind your back. Hell's...more of a high school than a place of damnation," Grey says. "Somewhat. Anyways, after following those tacky beekeepers around, I spotted some A.I.M. agents in a gathering near Griffith Park Observatory. They were...waiting for something. But before I could intervene, someone else apparently caught wind of A.I.M.'s revival and saw fit to shut them down…"

Ava leans forward, her curiosity piqued. "Who?"

Grey pauses for a beat. "I...I didn't know who it was at the time, but I remember seeing...something. Someone wondrous." Her irises start to glow with an intense red light, visibly shocking Ava and Jenny.

However, as Jenny realizes who Grey was referring to, she interrupts Mickey's demonic friend before she could continue. "Luna?!" She squeals. "It was totally Luna Snow, wasn't it?"

Grey giggles, scratching the back of her head. " _Well…_ "

* * *

_Wearing an all-black attire and Mickey's visor, Grey spotted an intense maelstrom of black and white ice, its shards emitting a fog bank of water vapour. Activating the visor's thermal vision, all she could see was a woman, gracefully leaping in the air. Her acrobatic movements made her a whirling dervish, toppling the A.I.M. agents to the ground._

_Grey watched as the woman started to emerge from the fog. Before she could make out any discerning details, however, two A.I.M. agents began to open fire. Grey quickly hid behind a fountain, taking a deep breath before a pair of red-and-white orbs of energy emanated from her hands. Skidding off to the side of the fountain, she knelt down and said Mickey's magic words…_

_**"LAS GOTAS!"**  
_

_Like two speeding trains, the fist-shaped projectiles surged from her hands, blasting both agents off their feet. They crashed to the ground, beaten and knocked out. The woman quickly glanced at the event before turning to see the source of the blasts. But before she could spot Grey, the latter zipped away. Grey watched as the woman made out Grey's flowing blonde-and-pink locks._

_All Grey could point out was the woman's black and white hair and her intriguing suit._

* * *

"It was Luna, alright…"

"Whoa. Does she have superpowers? All of that ice was real?!" Jenny places her hands to the sides of her head, shocked. "I thought the fog in her concerts were just for...her concerts!"

Grey laughs while Ava smiles, calming her friend down with a pat on the shoulder. "It's okay,  _amiga_. You'll live. Sounds like a big secret, Grey."

"It still is, so you two better not say anything," Grey says, pointing her finger at her friends. They nod as she slowly returns the gesture, realizing one hell of a surprise just landed inside of Jenny's mind.

 ** _'Whoa, you almost literally blew her mind_** , _ **'**_  Mickey echoes in Grey's mind. _**'**_ ** _I'm impressed_**. _ **'**_

"Michaël's enjoying your 'hyped-up little K-Pop fangirl' reaction, by the way."

Jenny turns to Grey, pouting as she sticks her middle finger out at Mickey. "If you're watching me,  _that's_ for you! Douche!"

Mickey gasps. _**'**_ ** _Hey! I didn't say that!'_ **

"Have fun with that, Mickey Mouse," Grey says with a slightly evil giggle. "Anyways, I felt bold. Ambitious, even. I thought the next best thing to do would be to head to a karaoke bar. As a result, I bought a new guitar!"

 ** _'Stole, Grey. Let's not get it twisted,'_** Mickey says in their mind, his tone half-serious, half-teasing. ** _'You stole that guitar. Kinda like how you're stealin' my body right now.'_**

 _"Let me have my fun, Michaël,"_ Grey responds in a teasing tone. _"Do it for your widdle, evil, sassy, cute-as-a-button, demonic pseudo-big sister. Pretty please, Mickey--"_

**'Alright! Alright, Grey, damn! Fine. But this ain't over, ' große Schwester' _('big sister').'_**

Grey chuckles softly, somewhat touched Mickey would say an endearing title despite their weird bond. The warm feeling courses through them again, the small sigil appearing and slightly growing on her back.

"Apologies," she says sarcastically. "I 'bought' a guitar and headed to Boardwalk 11."

Jenny grabs Grey's shoulder. "Hold up. Isn't that place's hella expensive? The place where a lot of celebs hang out?"

Though slightly nervous towards Jenny touching her, Grey grins. "Yes! And singers. I witnessed some...moments myself. Celebrities and the culture surrounding them are...interesting, but I didn't care. I just wanted to sing."

Grey leans back in the chair, remembering her time at the bar. "That's when Luna and I first met, how our band unofficially started, and how we began the start of something wild. But I'll get back to that soon! Right now, you two must be hungry."

The two girls try to speak up as Jenny shakes her head. "It's-"

Following suit, Ava smiles sheepishly. "Really, Grey, we're-" However, Grey stops them.

"No buts! I won't allow it," she says. "Butts on the couch. I'll make something to eat for you two. It'll be devilishly good. I _promise..."_

Jenny and Ava turn to each other before shrugging their shoulders in unison, resting on the couch. Grey zips into the kitchen before heading back to the living room.

"Besides, you think how I met Luna was crazy? Wait until you hear how she and I met the rest of our band: Luke, Gwen, and Miles. They're  _crazy_ …"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, Gwen and Miles will show up next chapter.
> 
> Like I said, if y'all haven't seen Spider-Verse, do it _now_ or you'll get spoiled on some shit. And I wouldn't like it.


	4. Step Inside The Party (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna and Grey meet for the first time.
> 
> A chance opportunity leads to meeting new allies.
> 
> And Ava and Jenny enjoy some churros.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE WRITING THIS STORY. HOLY SHIT, MAN! Okay, okay. Quick note:
> 
> Mickey's universe is an amalgam of the MCU and 616 worlds, using the MCU storyline as a timeline (because it's easier, dammit.) This iteration of Luna is slightly different than the Future Fight version, but more on that throughout the story.
> 
> And yes, your two dorky Spider-Kids are here. This is gonna be fun on a bun. And let's just say this band dips in more than alt-rock covers, but that'll be later. ;) EDIT: By the way, now that I've seen Spider-Verse some more, I know Miles is 13. And since Gwen's only 15 months older than him...yeah.

Jenny and Ava enjoy some _churros de lazo_ and hot chocolate, the latter amazed by Grey’s baking skills.

“You make churros better than Mickey, that’s for sure,” Ava says with a smile. “Almost better than my _abuela_.” She turns to Grey with a wink. “Almost _._ ”

Grey smiles, chuckling with pride. “Well, _amiga,_ sometimes _almost_ doing something can lead to better opportunities to do it again. And _that_ reminds me…” She leans back on Mickey’s recliner before Mickey voices his displeasure.

 **_'_ ** **_Hey! You know that’s—By the way, I was there, too, y’know! Lemme talk for once!'_ **

_'Fine_. _Stop being a human and get all pouty on me.'_ Grey rolls her eyes before she smiles. “I’ll allow Michaël to continue our story.”

Jenny and Ava groan as she giggles.

“I know, I know. But worry not! Enjoy those treats. I shall return. _Very_ soon…”

**_'Yeah, yeah. Relax and take a seat, J.K.'_ **

Grey’s looks fade as Mickey retains his original appearance. His curls return, coupled with his signature black stripe. He stretches his arms as he squints his eyes to Jenny, giving her a middle finger with a teasing grin.

“I’m _back,_ meine Freundin,” Mickey says, teasing Jenny.

Jenny puts on a fake smile. “Welcome back."

Noting her sarcasm, Mickey places a hand over his heart. “Aw, I’m so touched. You _do_ care!”

The two share a laugh while Ava shakes her head with a smile. “Alright, alright. Mickey, you gotta tell us about the rest of the band…”

“Yeah!” Jenny leans forward as her eyes twinkled with curiosity. “What was Luna like?”

“And who’s Gwen and Miles and—"

“In due time! Don't rush a good story! Luna, right?” Jenny nods as Mickey relaxes on his recliner. He smiles, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, Grey wasn’t the only one there. I was there. …Inside my own mind as a demon used my body, but I was there! Well, she’s…Luna…Hm. S-she’s…hm. Yo, deadass?”

Slightly confused about the word, Jenny turns to Ava as the latter smiles.

“It means he’s being a hundred percent honest about something,” Ava says with a shake of the head towards Mickey.

With a knowing, open-mouthed smile, Jenny nods slowly, turning to Mickey.

He chuckles. “She’s a _little bit_ of a diva, but she’s sweet once you get to know her…”

* * *

 _On the karaoke stage, Grey strummed her ‘brand-new’ acoustic guitar under its fancy lights. Despite some weird looks from some of the patrons at the bar, their focus lingered on the peculiar and hauntingly beautiful young woman._ _Mid-way into singing a mellow punk-rock ballad, Grey's singing changed her lukewarm reception. People were surprised that she had a voice like she had…especially Mickey. The little club slowly but surely gravitated towards Grey as she sang._

* * *

  _Always said her life was never meant to be_

_Stuck here living someone else's dream_

_Well beyond your window there is so much more_

_Even every prison has an open door_

* * *

  _ **'Holy shit, Grey,'** Mickey echoed in ‘her’ head. **'You can sing?!'**_

 _'Told you,' Grey answered back._ _Through the chorus, she smiled, taking pleasure in his odd compliment._

 _Suddenly, Grey also noticed that some of the patrons' attention was divided between her and one other person, staring at a familiar-looking woman making her way into the bar. During her solo, her eyes widened, realizing that the same person from Griffith Park showed up, staring directly at her._ _The patrons’ excitement made no doubt about it._

_It was **Seol Hee** , aka  **Luna Snow**  (23), in the flesh._

_**'Ah, shit,'**  Duke bellowed, their voice resonating like an annoying alarm clock. _

_It wasn’t hard for people to spot Luna in the bar. A beautiful South Korean woman, she was unique in terms of her looks. She had jet-black hair on the right side of her head, snow-white hair on the left. Her heterochromatic eyes glanced towards Grey as her blue eye twinkled, striding with a purpose. Her heels clicked almost in tune with the guitar solo as she crossed her arms, nodding to the music. People recognized her signature cropped leather jacket, adorned with her crescent moon/snowflake emblem._

_Luna raised her eyebrows as Grey cleared her throat, prompting the DJ to stop. “Um, I’ll be back to finish the song later. Thank you.”_

_She walked off the stage as – surprisingly – some people applauded her short performance. Grey waved Luna over as the latter shook her head, following her lead._

_Now hidden from the rest, the two ladies have their first conversation..._

_“Nice voice,” Luna said, her voice soft but quite stern. “Alternative rock might not be my strongest suit..."_

_Grey shook her head. "Punk rock."_

_"Excuse me?" Luna tilted her head._

_"Punk rock. It's different from alt-rock. You know what? It's nothing. Go ahead."_

_After a brief pause, Luna nodded. "Right. Okay. Um…Anyways, I’ve heard that song before. You sang well.”_

_“Thanks. Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. Stalking someone you don’t know? Creepy. Stalking someone you don’t know with superpowers? Dangerous and creepy,” Grey said. “I mean, I’m not mad. I’m rather impressed—”_

_Luna interrupted her with a wave of her hand, her tone mirroring her no-nonsense personality. “I don’t like people interfering in my business. Even finding you wasted some of my time.”_

_“Interfering?” Grey’s eyes glowed, prompting Luna to take a somewhat defensive stance. “I prevented those fools from turning you into swiss cheese. A token of appreciation would be nice.” Feeling sassy, Luna crossed her arms. “Oh, don’t get snide with me.”_

_Luna raised an eyebrow in defiance."Oh, yeah?”_

_Grey scoffed. “Yeah!”_

_“Why shouldn’t I?”_

_“I was helping you! Two A.I.M. agents were going to—”_

_“And how do you know they’re affiliated with Advanced Idea Mechanics?” Luna leaned forward, a smug smirk on her face._

_Slightly caught off-guard by her statement, Grey tried to save face._

_“_ _Well, um, I am…I keep my ear to the ground,” she said, watching Luna raise one of her eyebrows. “I’m more than just a pretty face.”_

_Grey batted her eyelashes but_ _Luna, seeing through her bullshit, raised her eyebrows again._

_“_ _Is that right? I wouldn’t have guessed.” The idol's_ _smirk evolved into a self-satisfied grin._

_Grey heard Mickey make cat noises in her head as Duke chuckled. Grinding her teeth, she tried to speak up before the two ladies heard a commotion. Turning to each other, they headed towards the bar before they stared at the television above the bar._

* * *

“By the way,” Mickey says, suddenly stopping the story. “Quick warning: I wouldn’t drink anything right now, _meine Freunde.”_

Ava and Jenny turn to each other, now finishing the rest of their hot cocoa.

“Why?” Ava says.

 _"_ _Well…”_ Mickey shrugs, scratching the side of his neck with a bit of a giggle. "You asked for it!"

* * *

 

 _On the T.V. screen, a_ _reporter – a well-dressed, matter-of-fact woman – stood in front of a building with a squadron of police cars near the vicinity. What she said next stunned Grey – along with Duke and Mickey…_

_“I’m here in Glendale as former New Avengers Academy student Finesse has been seen with A.I.M. agents inside the AccuTech Research & Development Center. No other details were included, but witnesses reported that Finesse aided her new A.I.M. cohorts in fighting police officers here at the scene…”_

* * *

Almost in unison, the two girls spit out their drinks in disbelief.

“Jeanne?!” Jenny says. “The rumour was frickin' true?” She turns to Ava before looking at Mickey. "Heh! I thought the first person to break bad was gonna be you!"

Mickey frowns while Ava, shaking her head, curses under her breath.

 _"Esa perra!_ I knew she was gonna turn!"

Suddenly, Grey, along with her pink-and-white locks, makes a brief return. “I’m sure all of you are aware of Michaël’s…‘friendly rivalry’ with Jeanne. You should’ve heard him. He had a _huge_ tirade, swear words and all. It almost brought a tear to my eye.”

Mickey takes control once more. “…She’s right. Not gonna lie, I was _mad_ tight. And Luna kinda knew it, too!”

* * *

 _Fueled by Mickey’s rage at comprehending the thought of his ‘arch-frenemy’ and rival **Jeanne ‘Finesse’ Foucault**_ _(24) being a new villain_ , _Grey stormed out of the bar, guitar in hand. Luna watched as Grey snatched a beer from a patron’s table, downing it in seconds before she went to investigate, sending it straight for the patron's head while he yelled at her._ _Luna captured it in the nick of time, apologizing to the patron._

_“젠장, 젠장,” she whispered in Korean before following her…_

* * *

"She said 'damn it' in Korean…twice. Caught the tail end of it before I left the bar," Mickey says before he laughs. "She was  _not_ happy with me! But…I'd learn _why_ very soon."

"Wait." Ava's eyes widen. "Since when the hell do  _you_ know Korean?"

Mickey smiles at Ava. "Technically, I still don't. But Agares does! It's a long story, but they know that and a _lot_ more. They relay it onto me and I kinda absorb it. It's all them."

His hair and eyes briefly change to red as Duke, grinning from ear to ear, bows their head. Changing back, Mickey sighs happily as Ava and Jenny stare in shock.

"You should really look up devils and demons on your own time. It's like a damn rabbit hole, meine Freunde. That's why I've managed to put a leash on their evildoings!"

 ** _'Okay. Calm your ass down,'_** Grey and Duke say in unison before Mickey smiles, continuing the story.

* * *

_Minutes later, Grey and Luna infiltrated Accutech’s R &D Center. Skulking and looking for A.I.M. forces, they investigated the interior of a lab. Chairs and papers were strewn all over the floor. The lights were off without an employee in sight. It looked like a scene of a horror movie, just before its unlucky victims entered it._

_“Isn’t Accutech a subsidiary of Stark Enterprises?” Grey whispered._

_Luna nodded. “Yeah.” Flashing back to painful memories of her acquiring her powers, she frowned. “I’ve done a bit of research. This is giving me bad vibes already…”_

_The two ladies discovered a particular scene that unmistakably gave credence to Luna’s statement: a dozen incapacitated A.I.M. agents, trapped in webbing._

_“What is this?” Luna whispered, feeling the sticky material. “It’s different, but it looks like—”_

_“Webbing.” Grey sighed in relief, rising to her feet. “Don’t worry. It’s just—"_

_“Spider-Man? I know who he is! But…umm…”_

_“Grey. Call me Sidechain. Huh…” Grey scanned the area with Mickey’s visor, spotting fingerprints on the ceiling with thermal vision. “You?”_

_Luna was perplexed by that statement, highlighted by her stunned gasp._ _“Luna Snow!”_

_"I'm sorry. Who?" Grey stopped and blinked at Luna._

_“K-Pop’s very own ‘Sparkling Crystal’?” Luna posed as Grey blinked again. “‘Tonight’?” And again. “‘I Really Wanna’?"_

_"Hmm. Nope. Nothing."_

_Luna frowned. "No? Really?”_

_“…My tastes are eclectic but not that eclectic. Sorry.” Grey shrugged her shoulders._

_Keeping her composure, Luna raised her eyebrows with a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll change your mind soon. Trust me.” She pointed at the ceiling. “Did you find anything?”_

_“Yes.” Grey adjusted the mask’s vision, gathering more details. “Faint traces of residue, but it’s…it’s strange…”_

_“What’s strange?”_

_Mickey and Grey couldn’t believe it. There were footprints and fingerprints all over the ceiling…but it belonged to more than one person._

_'No way. Two of them?' Grey thought to herself. Relying on her hunch, she started to follow the trail before Luna stopped her._

_“Hey_ _!” Luna heard a commotion in the main foyer. Urging Grey to follow her, she waved to her position. “Shh. Be quiet and follow me…”_

_Using their stealth, the two superheroines lurked their way down the steps to a safe position behind a glass pane, high above the sprawling lobby. They couldn’t believe what they saw next…_

_“Two Spider-Men?!” Grey exclaimed, stunned at the sight._

_“Not quite. That one’s a girl. Look.” Luna nodded towards one of the Spiders._

_The hooded Spider was moving like a trained ballerina, acrobatic and graceful in her movements. She was fighting a woman with short, black hair and a black-and-white catsuit, one that seemed to replicate the Spider's movements flawlessly._

_“That’s Finesse, alright,” Grey whispered, pointing at her.“I…I know that ability any day. Look over there!”_

_Grey pointed at another scene as the other Spider – red and black in his appearance – turned invisible, confusing A.I.M. forces. They were taken for a loop by his hidden attacks, toppling to the floor._

_“Two Spiders!_ _세상에! (Oh my god!)_ _” Luna said in disbelief. "We gotta help them!”_

_Grey was confused but eager to jump into the fray. “We…Yes. Let’s do it!”_

_Suddenly, she used Mickey’s enhanced hearing to detect a faint whooshing noise behind her. Grey turned around, greeted by a devastating spinning roundhouse kick to the jaw. The force of the strike was lethal; spit and more than a drop of blood escaped through her teeth. It felt like the most painful attack both Grey and Mickey had ever felt since their time in Sakura’s world through the Divide. Forced to change back, a dazed Mickey spun in the air as he bounced against the ground with hard thuds._

_The last sound he heard before he became unconscious was the sound of ice breaking Luna’s fall, seeing Luna herself huddled in a heap right next to him…_

_“L-Lu…”_

_Finesse whipped her head around, looking down at Mickey with a curious but stoic expression on her face. Remembering a faint memory of him, however, her eyes opened wide._ _The hooded Spider took the opportunity, levelling the former hero to the ground. Suddenly, her Spider-Sense activated, dodging a laser beam as A.I.M. agents converged on the scene._

 _And at that moment, the Spiders watched a pale woman leading them._ _With a poised and frightening glare, her hair and skin were snow-white like a portion of Luna’s locks. She hovered in the air, smoke billowing from her eyes. Armed with an intriguing gadget around her waist and right thigh, the woman scowled._

_"Take them," the mysterious woman ordered, her voice clear, composed, and ominous. "Alive."_

_The hooded Spider turned to her friend. "There’s no time! We gotta go! We gotta find who we came here for!” she said, webbing Luna up as she took her away. “Take him!”_

_“A-Alright!” The black-and-red Spider followed her lead, taking Mickey as they left the scene…_

* * *

_Thirty minutes later, Mickey’s eyes opened groggily to see one of the Spiders unmasked. “L-Luna? Where are…you?”_

_He was a young African-American teenage boy, completely foreign in terms of his striking appearance. His eyes stared into Mickey's while he scratches the back of his neck, his expression one of nervousness and panic.  
_

_“I think the guy’s waking up! You think he might know who Spider-Man is?” The black-and-red Spider said to his accomplice. Now wearing a hoodie and Air Jordans, he shrugged at a muffled sentence, staring back at Mickey. “You okay, man? Looks like you got your butt kicked.”_

_The boy's face, though different, was very familiar to Mickey. He knew this boy…_

_“M-Miles? Is that you? What the…” Mickey narrowed and rubbed his eyes. “Y-You look older, hombrecito (little man). Ow!" Feeling immense pain, he held his jaw, moderately worried it was broken. "Where’s Peter? What’s with the suit?”_

_“Crap…” A different – and startled – version of **Miles Morales**  (now 14) suddenly turned invisible to Mickey's enormous surprise. “I think we’re busted, Gwen!”_

_Luna came to as **Gwendolyn ‘Gwen’ Stacy** (15) turned to see two strange-looking young adults slowly rising to their feet, one clearly taller and bigger than the other. Shocked and caught in a proverbial corner, a sheepish grin curled across her face._

_“Um, hey! I’m Gwen. Apparently!” She scowled at a hidden – and apologetic – Miles in the corner. “The scaredy-cat's Miles. I got some blankets and hot cocoa. We can explain…”_

* * *

“And _that’s_ the first time the four of us met!” Mickey massages his jaw. “That kick still hurts some nights.”

Jenny and Ava’s mouths open wide, completely in disbelief. “You mean you knew that little kid?"

"Yup. But in _this_ world."

"What?! Are you sure this shit's real?” Jenny says, enraptured by Mickey's story.

Ava nods. “Because if it is, you gotta keep it goin’, man!”

"Yep, it's real, alright. It's a long story. By the way, a word of advice." Mickey pauses. "A band’s like the Avengers pre-crisis, right? You ain’t gonna last long together if you barely know each other. So, we all introduced ourselves. But I'll get to that later. Now…” He stands up with a sigh. “I gotta go take a piss! I’ll be _right_ back _._ ”

Ava groans as Mickey heads upstairs. “Sometimes, this whole ‘anti-manners’ thing he talks about now kinda pisses me off.”

Jenny raises her eyebrows.

“Hmm,” she says, affirming Ava’s sentiment - and ignoring the unfortunate pun - with a sip of her warm cup of cocoa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helpful feedback is welcomed. <3


	5. Step Inside The Party (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey's story continues as the four heroes recuperate and talk shop after getting their asses kicked. Little did she and her friends know, a very welcome guest would soon make an appearance...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since 3 out of 4 are bilingual - and one of them's multilingual - and all, I made it easier for y'all to follow along with their different languages.
> 
> Google Translate didn't do _all_ the work, by the way.
> 
> BTW, I'd strongly advise y'all to read this: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202716 <\- It makes sense for understanding the Spiders' involvement. Plus, it's a non-OC fic if that gets your goat...doing whatever goats do.

Mickey jumps down the flight of stairs, twirling as he announces his presence to his startled friends. “ _Et voila!_ I’m back…”

Jenny and Ava shake their head, grinning at his foolishness. “Holy shit, Mickey, took you long enough,” Jenny says, rolling her eyes in a teasing manner. 

As he sits in his recliner, Mickey shrugs his shoulders. “It’s just liquids, Jenny—” He suddenly hears the lock on his front door. The two ladies sit up before he calms them down. “It’s alright, it’s alright…”

Making her way inside, a young teenage girl steps through the door, setting her backpack down. “Ooh, it’s chilly! Hey, I’m back!”

Brushing her long, silver hair away from her face, she sees Mickey sitting with two peculiar-looking women through her large, round glasses. “Oh! H-hi. Um, Mickey? You never told me you had—”

“It’s okay! Jenny, Ava, meet my friend – and recently, my new step-sister – Luna. Her first name's Katherine, but her middle name's cooler.” He turns to Ava. “She's a different Luna, though, but she’s _just_ as sweet.”

With a warm smile, Mickey welcomes **Katherine Luna 'K.L.' Townsend** (18) to his friends. She giggles, waving hello as Mickey continues.

“Long story short, she was…a runaway like me. Her situation wasn’t like mine, though.”

Katherine looks at Mickey as they exchange a nod, honouring their secret promise. “Thanks to what Mickey did for him, Stark owed him a favour. I didn't have anyone anymore, but his parents signed the adoption papers," she says, her voice soft. "They took me in and now he’s kinda like the big brother I…I never had. When he saved me, he always used to see me at F.E.A.S.T. with that Parker guy and Miles…"

Ava and Jenny's eyes widen, turning to Mickey as he clarifies. “Well, this world’s Miles…”

"'This world's Miles'?" Katherine repeats, dumbfounded.

“Guys?” Ava says.

“Hmm?” Katherine and Mickey say in unison.

“No need to tell us her life story. We get it.” Ava places a hand on Katherine’s shoulder, inviting her to join in. “It’s okay. Mickey’s just telling us a wild story. A story that he should continue.”

“Okay…” Being a young teen, Katherine blushes from her shyness but she perseveres, sitting beside Jenny. The two ladies greet each other with a warm smile. “You have some pretty cool friends!”

Mickey nods with a proud grin, pleased that Katherine didn’t run in fear from seeing Jenny in her Hazmat gear. Or Jenny, herself.

“Yeah! Yeah, I do. _But_ …speaking of cool friends, well…” He chuckles. “Let’s just say the first time Luna – Snow, not you – and I met Miles and Gwen, it took a while for us to really…” He suddenly bites his bottom lip before Duke chimes in.

 _**'**_ **_Say it, Boss.'_ **

_'I don't like puns.'_

_**'You're gonna say it.'**  
_

_'No, piss off. Leave me alone, Duke.'_

**_'Screw it. I’m gonna make ya say it…'_ **

“…break the ice,” Mickey says through gritted teeth, another voice echoing his words. The three ladies groan from the terrible pun as they watch his hair and eyes suddenly turn dark red. _**'**_ ** _Duke, no! Please! This is, like, one of the best parts!'_**

“I know, Boss. I know…”

His eyes glow a shade of strawberry red as Duke chuckled, inviting themselves into the conversation. Ava and Jenny jump at the sight of his hair turning dark red, shocked to get a rare appearance from Mickey’s less-than-friendly companion. However, Duke raises their hands with an oddly amicable grin.

“Hey, take it easy, ladies. I ain’t lookin’ to punch all y’all into paralysis. I just couldn’t let Grey – and _especially_ the Boss – tell you this part of the story. Nah. This one’s _all_ mine. So, here’s what went down…”

* * *

_Silence._

_Luna, Mickey, Miles, and Gwen gathered inside a small motel room. Despite the decor looking marginally better than most rooms in T.V. shows, it was pretty shabby. Gwen placed her hands on her hips, staring at the floor as she finished their introductions and hearing Luna and Mickey’s story._

_“So, that’s why you guys were there. I thought so,” she said, turning to Miles. “You were right. This world's strange.”_

_“Yeah, but you’re strange, too,” Luna said to Gwen with a rather frosty tone to her voice. “We don’t know anything about you.”_

_She pointed to Miles. “Or you.”_

_And then to a pained Mickey, seeing him rub the side of his head, still holding his jaw. “And I definitely don’t know anything about you. You’re weird!”_

_“…My head,” Mickey groaned before raising his free arm with a puzzled look on his face. “Wait. Hold on. How am I weird, Luna?”_

_Luna raised her eyebrows with a stunned expression. “‘내가 어떻게 이상해?'" she repeated in Korean. "Really? You just said that?”_

_She scoffed as Mickey shrugged._

_“I mean…I didn’t say it in Korean, but—" Suddenly, he gasped. "My voice!”_

_“Are you seeing yourself right now, ‘Grey’?”_

_“I’m not Grey, am I? Shit!” Mickey ran to the bathroom. “And chill out, Articuno, let’s not go there!”_

_Luna reeled back, surprised by his insult._ _“_ _Did he just call me—미친 놈!” she shouted, brushing her hair to the side in a huff._

_“Hey, yo!" Mickey rushed back to Luna, pointing at her. "I heard that, half-and-half! And it’s Mickey, by the way! You're close!”_

_Luna pouted, seeing Mickey head back to the bathroom, shaking her head while the amused Spiders turned to each other.  
_

_"Who’s Articuno?” Miles said to Gwen as she shook her head._

_Gwen shrugged. "Probably some dorky thing…”_

_“Pokémon’s not dorky!” Luna and Mickey said as they scoffed in stereo, the former blushing with an exasperated sigh._

_The two Spiders chuckled to themselves as Luna turned to Miles. “Why were you two there?” she said to him._

_Miles turned to Gwen as they hesitated to answer._

_Luna huffed, fed up from all of the secrecy. “We were all there. We all saw what happened, so you two might as well talk!”_

_Gwen nodded to Miles, giving him a chance to sit on the edge of a coffee table, hands on his knees. “It’s…kinda complicated.”_

_“Make it easier for me, then.” Luna’s eyes stared into Miles’ soul. To him, he never saw anything like them before. “You look…different.”_

_“Well, I’m not from around here,” Miles said with a sheepish grin, trying not to stare at Luna’s blue eye. “Heh…”_

_“Same.” Gwen intervened, showing off a pair of fancy-looking high-tech devices on their wrists. “These watches can allow the two of us to travel to different dimensions with no issues. I thought we could get better by meeting other Spider-Men, but let’s just say hero stuff got in the way.” With a curious gaze, Mickey returned, studying the watches as Gwen stared him down. “And no, they’re not for sale.”_

_Mickey shrugged his shoulders and sat down on a dusty recliner, keeping a perceptive eye on their watches. The two Spiders shared a warm smile, thankful for each other’s support._

_"But don’t worry, man, we can help you guys out!” Miles said to Mickey. “Who’s A.I.M., what’s with the lady with the attitude, and who’s the other one with the laser eyes?”_

_Luna and Mickey turned to each other as the latter nodded, letting the former start talking._

_Slowly nodding back, Luna sighed._ _“_ _A.I.M. claims to be a group of 'intelligent inventors improving humanity through science', but they're really know-it-all bullies dealing in ‘technological advancements’ for their selfish gain.”_

_“The previous CEO, Aldrich Killian, kinda turned out to be an evil douche. Thankfully, he and his plans were stopped by Tony Stark. Iron Man’s his hero name,” Mickey continued, clutching his chin. Hearing Tony’s name caused Luna to blush a bit. "Let's just say he and I have some...history."_

_"Quite a colourful past, too." Luna looked at him, remembering a few of his criminal exploits._

_Mickey stared as Gwen chuckled._ _"Iron Man?” she said, scoffing a bit. “Sounds lame…”_

_“It’s not lame!” Luna interrupted before clearing her throat, seeing the rest stare at her with teasing grins. “I mean, Mr. Stark is a…oh, never mind.”_

_Mickey shook his head. "I’m guessing that woman with the laser eyes kicked me in the jaw.” Luna and the Spiders nodded. “Figures! She’s probably part of HYDRA or something. Ow.”_

_"This world is too crazy," Miles whispered._

_"Compared to mine, it's actually kinda exciting," Gwen said, sitting down beside him. "By the way, who's the girl that never stopped talking? She was kinda annoying."_

_With a concurring nod, Mickey continued. “Yeah…” He chuckled, massaging his jaw. “That 'annoying' woman is Finesse. She's not annoying, she's different. It's not her real name, obviously. She used to be a part of the first New Avengers Academy class with me.”_

_A confused expression formed on Miles' face. “Sounds like a crazy school, man.”_

_“That’s because it was! All to be a part of the so-called ‘greatest team of superheroes in the world’. But…they’re not a team anymore.” Mickey stared at the room’s old, creaky tiled floor. Kicking a dust bunny under the couch, he sighed, thinking about Jeanne’s intentions. “But if there's one thing I know about Finesse, she isn’t an idiot. Why would she do this?”_

_Miles started to stare off into the distance, thinking about this world's Spider-Man. 'Could Peter be a part of those Avengers?' he pondered._

_As he thought of a question to ask Luna and Mickey, Gwen, sensing Miles’ worries, spoke up, putting his mind at ease. "_

_You_ _guys know who Spider-Man is?” she asked._

_Luna and Mickey both nodded. “Spider-Man’s pretty new, but there are videos of him,” Luna said._

_“New?!” Gwen and Miles shouted in unison._

_“Yup, what she said,” Mickey added. “But…I gotta be honest. After what happened with all of the fallout, bringing him or Stark into this will only cause more headaches.”_

_He stared at Luna as she frowned.  
_

* * *

“Um, Duke,” Katherine says, politely interrupting the story.

“Yup? What’s up, Buttercup?” Duke replies, their tone softer than usual to Jenny and Ava’s surprise.

“What did Mickey mean by that?”

Duke tries to speak up, but Ava politely cuts them off. “Unfortunately, I can answer that one. Let’s just say people were _…_ jaded of superheroes after S.H.I.E.L.D. blew up and the Avengers had their big fight.”

Listening intently to Ava’s words, Jenny agrees. “Were? Hell, they still are! And after what happened with that Midland Circle place with that Luke Cage guy and that Jones girl? It just made things worse all over the place. Based on what I've heard, California isn't faring much better, either.” She frowns.

“So _t_ _hat’s_ why you don’t do a lot of superhero work anymore!” Katherine fixes her glasses as Duke nods. "Well, that and the  _other_ thing..."

“Mm. Yup. Well, as it turned out, Luna knew more shit than _any_ of us…”

* * *

_“Agreed,” Luna said. She suddenly pressed the snowflake emblem on her left hip. “Besides, there’s no need to. A couple of former S.H.I.E.L.D. acquaintances at EuroMIND and I tracked A.I.M.’s recent crimes. Judging from the latest attack, what happened at Griffith Park was a diversion.”_

_“I honestly don’t know half of the names you just said, but what do you mean by 'a diversion'?” Gwen said before a chilly aura appeared, covering Luna’s body as it immediately faded away. “Whoa, what the hell’s that?”_

_“Yo, that looks so cool!” Miles added with a smile._

_Now in a sleek, high-tech uniform, styled in a two-tone colour pattern, Luna noticed the rest staring with admiration as she chuckled._

_“It's my new Andromeda Suit. Like it? This isn’t for sale either, by the way.” Using her gauntlets, a stream of information filled the room with a map of A.I.M.’s activities in the middle of it. “Look. A.I.M. targeted numerous facilities like the one in Glendale all over the world. It’s…”_

_“Strange.” Gwen started to analyze the map. The rest watched her keen eyes comb through the stream of information like a seasoned detective. Finding common links between points of interest and recognizing the link, her eyes twinkled. “Okay. It sounds crazy, but each and every single one of these facilities is an R &D center.”_

_Luna, completely aware of that fact, furrowed her brow. “I already—”_

_“Yes, you do. But that’s not all. They’re stealing secret black-ops tech. When Miles and I investigated that place, we saw some of it that looked similar to Kingpin’s particle accelerator we destroyed in his world.”_

_“That Finesse girl was with a couple of agents talking about a…a black swan or something,” Miles said, helping Gwen out. “At first, we thought it had something to do with these.” Both he and Gwen lifted their interdimensional watches. “But now? I don’t know if it’s the same thing…”_

_Mickey was silent, hearing Kingpin’s name ring in his mind like a noisy dinner bell. Still, he pushed it to the side, figuring out A.I.M’s motives in his head.'Black-ops tech? In an R &D center? C’mon, Mickey, there's always something more.' _

_“Is it like the Divide?” he said, finally speaking up._

_“I’m guessing this ‘Divide’ is the same thing as our watches,” Gwen said. Mickey slowly nodded. “Maybe. Either way, it seems like you’re right, Miles.” With a worried glance, the two Spiders stared into each other’s eyes. “I got a bad feeling about this.”_

_Luna stared at the ceiling in frustration. “They're building a gateway or something?! To what?”_

_“We don’t know. But we gotta take the fight to them! We gotta stop these guys!” Miles said._

_“We need to team up,” Mickey added. The two boys exchanged a nod and a grin, but the ladies?_

_Silence._

_They stared at each other, not really interested in the plan. Mickey shrugged his shoulders. “What? Look, we never fought someone with laser eyes before, so this is kind of new for all of us.”_

_Miles sat beside Mickey. “And plus, we can be like our own little ‘Avengers’, right? We could be like…the ‘Champions’ or something.”_

_Mickey suddenly held Miles’ shoulder, a faint shimmer in his eyes symbolizing his excitement. “The Champions. Yo, that sounds awesome! ¡Eso es lo que pasa (That’s what’s up), my dude!” Both he and Miles exchanged a fist-bump. "Ow…"_

_Miles smiled, pleasantly surprised that Mickey knew Spanish. “¡Tú lo sabes (You know it), man!”_

_Mickey nodded with his signature toothy grin as Gwen slowly acquiesced with a sigh._

_“It’ll be embarrassing if we all decided to split up and get our butts kicked again," she said before she smiled. “Plus, the name's kinda badass.”_

_Miles turned to Luna as she was silent, not really jazzed about the way this conversation was heading towards. “C’mon, Luna…”_

_“Uh, no thanks. I…kind of work alone,” Luna muttered. Despite her words and her hesitation, she blushed at how much she kind of liked the name herself. “Besides, A.I.M.’s not dumb! They know about us now!”_

_Suddenly, Grey spoke through Mickey’s body as his irises changed to white. “…Not if we’re discreet.”_

_The three turned as Luna froze. “G-Grey?”_

_“Yes. I’m down but not out. I'm recuperating and my magic will slowly return. When it does, it’ll give all of us a chance to properly introduce ourselves. But, you’re right, Luna. We need a good cover…Wait.” Mickey’s eyes glowed as Grey formed an idea. “A cover band. That’s it! We’re both singers! You’re a K-Pop singer…”_

_“You’re a K-Pop singer?” Gwen turned to Luna._

_"A K-Pop superstar." Luna nodded with a look of jubilant conviction. _

_“Heh, awesome.”_

_“Plus, you heard me sing," Grey said. "I could play the guitar! We could use our alibis and secret identities to lay low after your shows and chase them around the world!”_

_Luna blinked, crossing her arms. “I don’t know…”_

_The thought of being in a band was new for her, something - though familiar in K-Pop - that wasn't quite what she planned out for her career. And being in a cover band added to her doubts._ _In stark contrast, Gwen displayed a confident smile, placing her hands on her hips._

_“Sounds like a plan. Hey, as long as it’s an excuse to play the drums in two bands!" Gwen bit her bottom lip, hiding her delight. "And with a K-Pop superstar, too? I'm so in!”_

_“And I could be, like, the artist makin' stuff for you guys," Miles added. “Plus, my uncle Aaron…” He paused with a bit of a forlorn smile. “He…used to teach me how to play the turntables.”_

_"Ooh, unique. I love it," Grey said. Through Mickey, she placed an arm around Miles as he turned to face her, smiling softly._

_“All we need is a bassist.” Suddenly, she was uncharacteristically silent before she spoke again. “Ryu and Sakura – two great friends of Michaël – told him to use his talents for finding a reason beyond fighting, to find something to believe in, to fight for it no matter what. Thanks to his friends and his mission, Michaël found that reason and in doing so, he found me. Although I might be…different, Michaël and I have a pact. And I never break those. I will do whatever it takes to help him honour their promise.”_

_Silence._

_“I get it,” Gwen finally said, suddenly placing an arm on Mickey's shoulder. “My father told me I could help people, but I…I wanted what’s best for me.”_

_She also paused as Miles tried to console her. With a sad smile, she politely refused, appreciating his support. “Things happened in my life and…I decided to do right for the people I care about. That’s why I put on the mask. For people like us to stand up and fight for what’s right.”_

**_'Thanks, Grey,'_ ** _Mickey echoed. **'Take a minute, alright?'  
**_

_'Okay. …You will be the second death of me, Michaël,' Grey joked. With a soft smile, Grey decided to rest, letting him take control._

_As he re-emerged, Mickey looked to Miles, placing an arm on his shoulder. Miles nodded in his direction before turning to Luna._

_“Without Gwen and the other Spiders encouraging me and helping me on this path, I would’ve never been Spider-Man,” he said. “With what happened in my life, I thought I could never be able to do the things he could do. Being a hero, doing things like this? I thought it wasn't the life I wanted. But it's my life now. And I'm starting to like it because people believed in me.”_

_He turned to Gwen as she blushed a bit before turning to Luna. “All it takes is a leap of faith. So what do ya say?” Miles grinned, placing a hand on Luna’s shoulder as she softly gasped, touched by their stories. “Wanna take it together?”_

_Luna was silent. In a flash, her mind brought up memories of her parents. She dwelled on her inability to protect them and the sadness from their funeral._

_Her grief. Her guilt. Her loneliness._

_Luna's mind then flashed back to memories of her elderly grandparents, setting aside everything to provide for her. At that moment, she thought about her struggles, their hearts, and the drive to pay them back._ _Coming to, Luna sighed, a sad frown forming on her face before she watched the rest console her._

_“Don’t be nervous,” Mickey whispered. Luna, gasping softly, looked at him and the two Spiders. “Hey. We’re all here for this..."_

_Gwen nodded. "And we got your back.”_

_Luna’s eyes twinkled, touched by their support as her expression changed. ' **그들이 날 믿는다면 난 더 이상 혼자가 아닐 거예요**_ _(If they believe in me…I won’t be alone anymore).'_

_“The ‘Champions’, right?” The rest smiled as Luna _giggled softly, giving it a second in her mind. She nodded. "_ I guess it’ll be pretty fun being a part of a cover band. And the name's good, but we need a better name than that. We don't want to be too tacky for our after-parties." Luna winked playfully. "And I kinda wanna be the lead vocalist! …if that's okay."_

_Mickey closed his eyes before opening them again. “Grey’s cool with it.”_

_“Okay. It’s settled, then…”_

_Luna placed an arm on Gwen’s shoulder with a pearly-white smile. “그렇게 하자! (Let’s do it!) Together.”_

* * *

"And _that’s_ how Grey influenced those goobers to start their own band! Well, it’s more than a band now. That team name Miles said? It stuck, but more on that later. Don’t snitch.”

Silence lingers in the room as the girls’ mouths remain open, completely in awe as Duke chuckles.

“Yup, heh. Told ya it’s a good-ass part!”

 ** _'Are you satisfied with yourself, Duke?'_** Grey says. **_'_** ** _You’ve stolen not only my thunder, but Michaël’s as well.'_**

 ** _'Nah, Grey, they love it. I think they should leave on the crocodile they rode in on_** _, **'**   _Mickey says. _ **'**_ ** _So, piss off, Duke.'_**

 **_'We say that with love,'_** Grey added.

 _'Okay. Since you two said it with love,'_   Duke echoes back sarcastically. “Well, I scratched my itch! Catch y’all later…”

Changing from Duke to Grey, the familiar freckled face returns as she smiles at Katherine. “Hello, Little Owl.”

Pleased to see her, Katherine hugs Grey. “Hey, Gummy Bear! Are you okay?”

Jenny mimes their weird nicknames to Ava as Ava silently tells her to let it go.

“I am. You have to tell me about your first week at university," Grey replies. "It must have been quite chaotic. I shall continue my story later. Meeting Luke was…interesting.”

“Alright,” Jenny says as Ava nods.

Putting the story on hold, the four girls decide to enjoy an eager Katherine's short story as the afternoon lingers on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always welcome. :)
> 
> Ninja Edit: BTW, this is Luna's Andromeda Suit: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/future-fight/images/0/06/Luna_Snow_%28Andromeda_Suit%29.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/375?cb=20181129023522


	6. Warm Welcomes and Cold Shoulders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the afternoon rolls on, the story continues. The newly-minted 'Champions' join forces after their perilous first encounter with A.I.M., now led by a mysterious woman.
> 
> But like many focal points of Mickey's life, he always gets by with a little help from his friends as the sun rises in South Korea...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be mostly in Luna's perspective. I'm trying new things in my writing style, so this chapter will be longer. 2700 words, pre-edit. By the way, lemme know what you think about the Korean language implemented here. Like I said, I'm trying some stuff. 
> 
> Enjoy. :)
> 
>  
> 
> _I can't wait to write the next chapter. Ooh, you're gonna liiiiike it. And trust me, the Spiders make their presence known._

**_ Yangcheon District, Seoul, South Korea _ **

As the skies over New York begins to dim, it is a new morning in Seoul.

The sky, previously dark and slightly starry, introduces the city’s civilians to the Sun. Its’ natural blue hue slowly starts to form, interspersed with shades of orange and grey. Nestled on the southwest side of the Han River is a large but modest home, the home of Luna Snow. Resplendent but inviting, the interior is filled with various paintings and shelves of classic and modern literature. As she calls Grey, Luna relaxes as she lives a peaceful life – simply as Seol Hee, setting a book to the side.

Well, that is until Grey reminds her of what they're going to do...

“Yeah, don't worry. Gwen and I talked and we thought it’s time for our first meeting with the media,” Seol says to Grey through the phone. “…Uh-huh, our first meeting together. I made the call. Gwen’s getting ready. Yup, Miles will be there, too."

She frowns hearing some of Grey's words.

"…I don’t know yet. Maybe tomorrow when we're at the New Avengers Facility. We’ll see if she shows up. Oh, yeah. _A_ _ll_ of us will be there." The corner of Seol's lip is upturned, hearing Grey's sigh. "We'll get it done. Champions don't make excuses…okay, Grey. See you and Mickey soon.”

After the call ends, Seol heads upstairs to speak with her friends. Heading for her grandparents’ room for a brief detour, she takes a second to admire a photo of her as a young girl with a blue-and-white ribbon nestled on her head. She smiles as she sees herself hugging her grandparents with a warm, toothy smile.

“할머니, 괜찮으세요? _(Grandma, are you okay?)”_ Seol says as she hears a frail but soft, motherly voice behind the door.

“네, 들어오세요, ( _Yes, please come in,_ )” her grandmother replies as Seol opens the door.

Seol enters the room, taking in the familiar sight of homegrown plants and older pictures of her parents on the walls. A few pictures of her dancing with her old K-Pop group still line the walls as she smiles fondly at them. Her grandmother sits in her rocking chair, quietly humming one of her songs. Seol greets her with a kiss on the cheek.

“여기 있어요, 여보, ( _Here you are, honey,_ )” Seol’s grandmother says. The two ladies hug as she returns the warm gesture.

Seol kneels down with a worried smile. “잠시 자리를 비울게요. 필요한 게 있으면 전화하세요, 알았죠? _(I’ll be away for a while. Call me if you need anything, okay?)"_ She says softly, waiting for her grandmother’s response.

Seol gets it in the form of a hand across her shoulder. Her grandmother leans forward with a smile, one that would warm the heart of almost anyone she would meet in her younger years, but it still radiates with kindness. She chuckles before coughing, prompting Seol to help her before she politely declines with a wave of her hand.

“나는 괜찮을 것이에요. 조심해요, 자기. 당신은 내 유일한 손녀예요, ( _I’ll be fine. Be careful, dear. You’re my only granddaughter,_ )” Seol’s grandmother says, caressing Seol's cheek.

With a look of love and concern, the two ladies silently wish each other a good day with another hug before Seol makes her way out of the room – but not before turning with a flourish.

“관리인이 곧 올 거예요. 아침 식사가 정말 멋질 거예요! _(Your caretaker will be here soon. Your breakfast will be amazing!)"_ Seol says, performing one of her poses in a self-deprecating fashion.

Her grandmother chuckles warmly as she nods. “아, 그러길 바래요. ( _Oh, I hope so_.)”

Seol smiles, gently closing the door. She saunters along the floor in her socks, humming the same song her grandmother did. She heads to her room as she presses a hand on an interesting part of the wall.

_오랜만이에요... (Long time, no see…)_

A scanner quickly emerges as a secret area of her room opens, looking similar to a plane's cockpit. With shades of black and white, one of the widescreen monitors welcomes her as the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo briefly displays on it.

Legs crossed and comfy in her pyjamas, Seol sits back in her chair, trying her best to fix her hair. With a sigh, she enters some code in before installing a weird USB dongle. Suddenly, three other widescreen monitors show colour, revealing Miles and Gwen home in their dimensions and Mickey in a similar-looking room with three other women.

Despite her nervous stare towards Mickey’s new friends, Seol relaxes and grins seeing Miles as he greets her. “What are they talking about?” She mouths to him.

“Something pretty bad,” Miles mouths back. “It’s about Mickey.”

Seol, wide-eyed, sees Gwen in mid-conversation with Katherine. “And that’s why we kinda do this.”

"Whoa," Gwen says, "I don't even envy you, man." She points to Mickey.

Katherine fixes her glasses, nodding as she joins in. “Yeah. That's why Mickey and I have to be careful. We can't be too reckless after what happened with those Burger King robbers.”

“Robbers?!" Seol suddenly chimes in, her eyes widening in shock. "What did you do _this_ time, Mickey?” 

Mickey sighs. “It’s nothing! I—Oh! Yo, Jenny!” He turns with a smirk.

A surprised Jenny notices Seol as she gasps. “L-Luna?! Oh, crap. …Hey!”

Sensing a moment with a special fan, Seol changes her tune, waving to Jenny with a beaming smile. “Hi! Jenny, right?” Jenny nods, squeeing in delight. “Mickey and Grey told me quite a lot about you. It’s nice to have a hero like you as a fan.”

Stunned, Jenny turns to Mickey as he shrugs his shoulders. She hugs him as he laughs, worming his way out of the hug. “You’re welcome, Jenny. Hey, Snowball,” he says.

Seol smirks, tilting her head with a disapproving shake of the head. “Don’t play with me, _바보_ ,” she says sarcastically.

“Easy, meine Freundin! Language.”

“Language?! From _you?_ I swear I’ll—”

Mickey pretends to be heartbroken before he waves Seol’s teasing threat. “I’m kidding! See, Miles, Seol _does_ hate me.”

Miles smirks. “I don’t know. You kinda make it easy for her, man.”

“Hey!”

Suddenly, a new voice emerges. “You make it easy for all of us.”

A fifth screen comes to life with colour, revealing a surprisingly clean room in a brick apartment, filled with posters of various bands. A young, fair-skinned man with short, slicked-back hair leans back on his couch with his bass guitar, scratching his righteous beard.

Greeting everyone, the man nods his head. “Hey.”

"See, Gwen? The 'hey' thing works!" Miles gestures to him while Gwen shakes her head with a teasing grin.

"Sure, Miles."

Suddenly, Grey emerges with a chuckle. “Oh, lay off of him, Gwen,” she says. "He's young, he'll figure it out..." Turning to her friends and Katherine, she raises a hand to the man. “By the way, girls, this is Luke Campbell, 'bassist extraordinaire'.”

The three girls wave as **Lucas ‘Luke’ Campbell** (30) salutes Mickey’s friends. “And I'm pretty good with cars," he says. "Told ‘em about me?”

Seol cuts in, frowning in Grey’s direction. “We’ll get to that soon. But Grey, if Mickey’s in trouble, I’ll—”

“It’s okay. We’re working on it with Stark, but…he’s not out of the woods yet,” Grey says, noticing Mickey’s silence in 'her' mind. Acknowledging it with a soft sigh, she continues. “We’ll talk about it later, but enough about that. Ladies, I promised you all I’d let the rest tell you our story! So, Seol, I’ve been talking for a while now. I’ll get some water.”

Seol slowly smiles. “Sure! Okay, um, you told them the story up until Luke, right?” Grey nods before she leaves. “Awesome! Alright. Luke, wanna handle it or should I?”

Luke motions for Seol to talk with a grin. “Have at it.”

Seol smiles. “Alright. So, we had to find out what A.I.M., Finesse, and that other woman might do next. However, they thought they could intimidate us by distracting us. And after we met Luke, that’s when they made their first move against us.”

“What happened?” Ava says.

“The riot happened,” Miles clarifies.

“Riot?! Was it bad?”

Miles tilts his head slightly with a smile. _“Well…”_

Ava rubs her forehead. “Yo, _p_ _árale._ (cut it out.) Sometimes, I swear you guys are like a _hivemind_ with that word.”

* * *

_With the events of the research center firmly in their minds, Seol called Gwen, Miles, and Grey as she headed to downtown L.A. before her concert. After the fallout from the last couple of days, her eyes remained on a swivel as she guided the trio past security._

_“What? No entourage?” Gwen teased as they entered Seol’s stylish dressing room, dressed to the nines with her classic black/white aesthetic._

_Seol chuckled. “It’s not my style. Besides, everyone else's just making sure things are okay." Clasping her hands together, she lowered her voice as she continued. "Well, I’m going to have my concert in an hour and a half. Did anything happen with—”_

_“No. The last couple of days, A.I.M.’s been quiet. Miles and I had vantage points and everything around L.A., but no dice.”_

_“Yeah. Other than that night, nothing,” Miles joined in. “No police cruisers around a building, no new news, none of those weird outfits they have. They’re like ghosts, man.”_

_Seol frowned before she turned to Grey. However, Grey quickly raised her hand to stop her._

_“And I’m afraid my own efforts were in vain. But, I did contact a friend of mine. She contacted her friend and she said she’d get back to us.”_

_It was at that time, the door opened as the security guard welcomed a person: a short-haired, clean-shaven man with a sheepish grin. Luke._

_“Ms. Snow, he said he knows your friends," the security guard said in a serious tone.  
_

_With a nod, Seol ushered him in. “You must be Luke, right?”_

_“Yup. Nice to meet ya, guys.” Luke waved hello before turning to Grey. “Um, I forgot. Here.” He gave his phone to her and pointed at the screen. “Hit play and the video will do its thing.”_

_Grey nodded as she played the video to the rest. The video showed two women in an intriguing-looking room with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo in the back._ _One of them was familiar to Mickey and, by proxy, her._

_“That’s Michaël’s friend, Erika Andrade. The other one…" Grey smirked in disbelief. "Well, holy shit."_

_Sitting beside Erika, a familiar face caused Seol to gasp. “She looks like that Quake girl I’ve seen on the news!”_

_Next to Erika, Daisy Johnson_ , _aka Quake, smiled softly before she introduced Luke._

_“If you’re seeing this video, you’ve probably met Luke Campbell,” she said. “He’s a talented musician from Cincinnati. He’s…special. I made a promise to do right by someone, so consider him my olive branch.” Luke smiled as the video continued. “Erika told me about you guys stopping A.I.M., so don’t worry. We're here to help.”_

_“There’s one more reason why we brought Luke to you guys,” Erika added. “We tracked A.I.M.’s movements with your data and their next target is the Stark Industries Center in Cincinnati.”_

_“That’s your next target,” Daisy said. “Intercept them and do whatever it takes to make sure A.I.M. stays dead. Good luck. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s always got your back.”_

_As the ladies smile, the video ends._

_"_ _S.H.I.E.L.D.'s not dead?!" Seol uttered in disbelief._

_“Yup,” Luke exclaimed, sitting on the couch. “I still couldn’t believe it, but there it is. Whatever you need, I’ll help you guys out. ...I owe Daisy that much.”_

_Gwen smiled at Luke before turning to the rest. “Those two seem nice, but man, they look stressed.”_

_“What’s S.H.I.E.L.D., anyways? Are they some kind of super-secret spy organization or something?” Miles said, scratching his head._

_“They were…they are a super-secret spy organization,” Seol said, a bit stunned to react properly. “More than that, though. The Avengers worked with them. I did, too." She paced back and forth, thinking about her first days as a superhero. "I was an agent on behalf of South Korea working with EuroMIND."_

_"What's that?"_

_"Oh, it's their European Division. I—Wait. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s still active?!”_

_Grey shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to divulge her knowledge to the group. “I’m not 100% sure myself, but probably. They’re all S.H.I.E.L.D. has right now,” she said before she smiled at Seol. “Well, other than…you and meeeee.”  
_

_She sang to Seol as Seol, with raised eyebrows, laughed triumphantly, smirking with confidence. “Oh! You listened to my songs, did you?”_

_Grey shrugged. “They’re alright, I guess."  
_

_“Alright?!” With a cross between a gasp and a smile, Seol placed her hands on her hips._

_Starting to reign them back in, Miles focused on the task at hand. “Guys, I know I should be the last person saying this, but we need to figure out what’s going on.”_

_Gwen stepped forward. “Yeah. Besides, A.I.M. could strike at any—”_

_Suddenly, Luke grabbed the group’s attention as he pointed to the T.V. “Guys, look.”_

_The rest turned to see a chaotic sight on the screen: it was the local news, reporting a riot and a small crowd causing a big ruckus in Little Tokyo._

* * *

“The riot wasn’t catastrophic, but a number of people were injured,” Seol says. “Not only that, we didn’t know how long we had until things escalated. So, I joined the rest and we all went to Little Tokyo, but…”

Gwen slaps her hands on the table. “As soon as we got there, that little...ugh, _she_ was there trying to threaten us,” she says in a huff.

“Finesse?” Katherine says to Seol.

“Yes,” Seol says with a frown. “We tried to intercept her...”

* * *

 _Heading to Little Tokyo, Seol – now as Luna – joined the other heroes as they got into their outfits. Led by her desire to de-escalate the situation, they covertly quelled the rioters as police arrived to help with the raucous disturbance._ _Suddenly, she spotted a less-than-friendly face._ _“Look!”_

_They all turned to see a figure approaching. Still rocking her black-and-white super suit, Finesse smiled ever so softly, twirling one of her trusty billy clubs in the air._

_“You guys don’t know when to give up, do you?" Finesse said, shaking her head. "I gotta say...you arrived much faster than I thought.” She turned to the Spiders. “Oh, you brought the wannabe Spiders back, too? Good. I was distracted last time.”_

_Spider-Woman clenched her fists before Spider-Man, sensing her anger, stepped forward. “You started this?”_

_“Of course. It’s not every day you get to create a diversion and a threat all at the same time,” Finesse said, her subtle French accent highlighting her smug tone. “I'm quite proud of what I’ve done here if I say so myself.”_

_Spider-Man scoffed, shocked. “But people were hurt!”_

_"Not by me." Finesse shrugged. “I never laid a finger on any of them.”_

**_‘Grey,’_ ** _Mickey echoed, **‘Lemme talk to her. I don’t know what she’s plannin’, but—’**_

_‘I got this, don’t you worry,’ Sidechain echoed back before talking to Finesse. “You were a part of New Avengers Academy, weren’t you?”_

_Finesse turned to her, her expression vacant and uncaring. “I don’t see why that matters to you, but you’re right. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Initiative were only holding me back, though. Besides, just like all of you, they were too blind to see what’s on the horizon.”_

_“And what’s on the horizon?” Spider-Woman said, stepping forward. “Since you have the ‘finesse’ for seeing the future and all, you must be an expert.”_

_Finesse shook her head, ignoring the Spider’s menacing pun. “Something you can’t avoid or counter with your tired sense of humour. This is nothing personal. I’m just fighting for the winning side.” She raised a club at each of them, enunciating her words. “First and last warning: don’t interfere.”_

_Suddenly, Finesse stopped, her leering gaze lingering at Sidechain, conjuring a few memories from her mind._

_Emboldened by Finesse’s attitude, Spider-Woman tried to leap forward before the group was met with a smoke grenade from the former hero._

* * *

“And just like that, she was gone," Seol says. "The riot was over, but we knew A.I.M. knew about us. That’s why I had to cut my concert short that day.”

“Although, there’s one more detail that day that slipped past everybody…except for Michaël,” Grey says. “Through me, he saw Jeanne’s eyes and, well, she was still Jeanne. Confident, annoyingly sure of her abilities, yes. However, there was something…different about her.”

“What was it?” Jenny says. Grey turns to her as she frowns, using her magic to change back to Mickey.

“I know Jeanne. Back in the day, she claimed she was this ‘emotionless machine’, but that’s bullshit,” he says. “You don’t get to live the life of crime I lived if you can’t twist the emotional knife. And with her, I twisted it any chance I got. I shouldn't have, but I did.” He chuckles softly before he frowns. “I realize now I shouldn't have done that. She went through issues like all of us, but she was…different than all of us. That day, she looked…scared? I don’t know. I couldn't really tell with her expression and the smoke everywhere. But she knew we wouldn’t listen to her. She was right.”

Seol nodded. “…We didn’t know it then, but we were going to find out how right she was.”

* * *

_As Grey made out a shadow of Finesse, the latter leaned forward as she noticed a blue eye from the former's face - to her, a familiar one. The same, faint memory of their conversations in New Avengers Academy lingered like a bad cold as she turned to Grey, whispering in her ear._

_"Hm. …Don't think I can't see through you, Villanueva. This little disguise is new, but…your fighting's improved. Slightly."_

_Mickey's voice suddenly emerged with a hushed whisper. "'This is new'? Jeanne! What the fu--"_

_"Stay out of this, Mickey. Don't be a fool," Finesse whispered back, cutting him off._

_Mickey was taken aback, putting distance between the two and the rest of his group."You okay?"_

_"I…"  Jeanne became unusually silent._

_"Jeanne." Jeanne turned to Mickey, his looks reverting back to normal. "I know you're painfully honest, but cut the bullshit. It's just us now. I know I've been an ass, but if there's anything wrong, lemme know. Okay?"_

_In a show of friendship, Mickey held her shoulder, ready to listen. Suddenly,_ _for a brief moment, he noticed Jeanne trying to tell him something before shrugging it and his shoulder off with a shake of the head._

_"…I can't."_

_"Jeanne!"_

_"Please. Just…just_   _le_ _ave me alone," Jeanne said before she quickly disappeared into the night._

* * *

"She said the word 'please'," Mickey says, shaking his head. "Jeanne Foucault knows a  _lot_ of words, but she never said please unless it was an  _emergency_. And knowing her, there weren't any emergencies to worry about in her mind. …Even she was worried about something. Something big."

“Oh, crap, Mickey!” Katherine says. “You should've texted me! No wonder you were gone for so long.”

“Yeah, you know Jenny and I could’ve helped you guys too, right?” Ava exclaims as Jenny nods.

“I did. And I’m sorry, K.L,” Mickey replies with a frown, “But unfortunately, we had targets on our backs. I couldn’t let A.I.M. hunt you down! Hell, we couldn’t leave each other. Besides…Gwen had the idea we weren’t going to take shit from them.”

Ava’s eyes widen. “What did you do? Start a bigger riot?”

They all turn to Gwen as she grins, looking at Miles with a wink.

Miles chuckles. “Nah, we kinda had experience dealing with something like this before, so we thought of something better. Right, Gwen?”

“Yup.” The Spiders share a warm smile before Gwen turns to the rest. “We had one hell of a counterattack for them,” she says. “And the two of us led the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback will be welcomed. <3 - L.I.T.T.
> 
> Crappy Ninja Edit: Lemme know what songs would you like the band to cover. I got two in my head, but I'm curious what y'all might like.


	7. Hidden Scene: Face It Spider! Face It Spider!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After rescuing Luna and Mickey from A.I.M. and the mysterious woman's clutches, Gwen and Miles take the two to a motel. Figuring out their next move, the two Spiders share another quick but meaningful heart-to-heart conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Hidden Scene to wet your whistle, my lovelies. See y'all soon! :)

_With tonight’s chaos ending in an explosive way, Gwen and Miles retreated to a small motel. Getting there wasn't the hardest part; getting there with two dazed and unconscious heroes was. Despite navigating through rooftops and searching for police cruisers, the Spiders carried Luna and Mickey on their backs, piggybacking them to their safe haven. Inside, the manager – a middle-aged redheaded woman – spotted the Spiders carrying a still-unconscious Luna and Mickey as she frowned.  
_

_“A-are they okay?” the manager said to Gwen, stammering a bit.  
_

_Allowing her charm to bypass the manager, she subtly turned to Miles with a look that almost seemed to say the phrase ‘trust me’. Miles nodded._

_“Well, yeah," Gwen said. "These two were drinking a lot near a nightclub and one of them just…bweh!” She made a sound as if she was vomiting._

_Using Gwen’s lie as a stepping stone, Miles turned to the manager. “This guy was worse,” he said. “He was yelling a lot, swearing, trying to pick fights with people. We found them like this.”_

_“He was using a garbage can as a pillow,” Gwen frowned, nodding to Mickey snoring. “Young people, am I right?”_

_The manager chuckled, amused to see two younger people carrying two grown-ups. Nevertheless, she shrugged, unwilling to meddle in the lives of strangers._

_“Well, can’t say I blame them...” She shrugged, taking out a key. Her desk was littered with a margarita and old paraphernalia from television shows the Spiders were confused about. “Wanna drink your cares away? Hey…California’s the right place.” The manager looked at Luna’s hair with a bit of a dismissive scoff, shaking her head. “Young people, indeed.” She gave the key to Gwen. “Here, sweetie. Room 1610. You know the rules, don’t ya?”_

_After taking the key with a nod and a warm smile, Gwen waved the manager goodbye as they made their way to the room._

_“Nice thinking,” Miles said, walking briskly beside Gwen._

_Gwen smiled. “Thanks. …Growing up the way I did, you have to think on your feet.”_

_“Yeah, I bet.” Miles nodded. “Being a superhero’s not easy…”_

_Chuckling, Gwen shook her head. “Oh, no, no. Well, yeah, but I meant living my life in general. Trying to make your detective dad proud and playing the drums kinda sucks.”_

_“You play the drums?”_

_Gwen and Miles opened the door, seeing a rather dusty motel room. Though it didn't look like the rooms they've seen through shows, it wasn't a room that excelled in cleanliness. Gently setting Luna and Mickey down on the couch and recliner, Gwen wiped her hands free of dust._

_“Yeah! A couple of my friends and I started a band together," she said. "We’re called ‘The Mary Janes’.”_

_Miles laughed, stepping back in disbelief. “Wait, hold up. Seriously?”_

_“Yeah.” Gwen chuckled softly to herself, shaking her head. “It wasn’t my choice. It was the lead singer’s. She's a friend of mine. She's friendly, but she can be a bit of a bit—”_

_Stopping Gwen, Miles looked at her with a bit of a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. “No, no. I’ve heard of that band before in my world.”_

_As they hear Mickey’s loud snoring and given the chance these two strangers would hear a fraction of her personal life, Gwen pulled him aside as she crossed her arms, surprised and curious._

_“…My band is in your world?” Gwen said._

_Miles nodded. “They’re pretty big, too. Saw a billboard of their album one time. Won a couple of awards, too.”_

_Gwen gasped. “Billboards? Wait. Like…famous awards?”_

_“Yeah! Gotta admit I’m not too into that genre, but I like the song…um…” Miles scratched his head before getting his train of thought back. “Oh! Yeah. ‘Face It Tiger’. I like the singer’s voice.”_

_Miles looked at Gwen as she was beside herself. A cocktail of emotions bubbled in her mind: shock, excitement, happiness. She giggled, looking off to the side. Gwen was speechless at first, too humble to have any of her wit and levity come out as a response as she stepped back a bit._

_All she could do…all she did was smile her toothy grin and blush._

_“Wow,” Gwen uttered. “I mean we’re…kinda big where I'm from, but…wow.”_

_Chuckling and pleased to raise Gwen’s spirits, Miles smiled. “Hey, time might be relative, but I think you guys might get your big break soon! Who knows? You guys might be famous here, too. Heh, I might like the drummer more!”_

_He shrugged and, despite not really thinking about it, winked, causing Gwen to blush and giggle a bit before shaking it off._

_“…Thanks,” Gwen smiled._

_Miles returned her smile with one of his own. “Don’t sweat it.”_

_Awkward silence._

_Looking at Luna and Mickey, Gwen and Miles turned to each other and realized the silence was making them nervous, allowing their relatively private moment to linger in their minds._

_“So, what do we about those two?” Miles pointed at the sleeping and dazed heroes._

_Gwen sighed, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, our mission is to find this world’s Spider-Man and get some training. But honestly? Right now?” She looked at Luna, remembering she still has Mickey’s visor in her hand. Staring at it, Gwen turned to Miles and shrugged her shoulders..._

_“Right now, these two might be the best hope we have for knowing what this world’s all about.”_

_Miles and Gwen shared a silent conversation before they nodded._

_“I’ll make you guys some hot chocolate,” Miles said as the Spiders look to welcome Luna and Mickey back to the world of the living.  
_


	8. Ante Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not taking crap from A.I.M. and Finesse, the group concoct a plan to strike back...with the power of music driving them forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Droppin' a new chapter at two overnight. One more hour and I would've busted the Patrick '3 AM' meme. Nevertheless, I'm back with a long chapter, edited by me. It took a long time and I'm tired and I need caffeine, but I want to thank y'all for viewing my story.
> 
> If anything's on your mind about this, let me know how I'm doing. Other than that, enjoy. <3
> 
> BTW, try to guess the second song. I'll use fewer song lyrics in this fic, so don't worry. Just wanted to emphasize the band's first time. EDIT: I changed it. My bad. :P

**_ New York City, Earth-65 _ **

In a room plastered with posters of bands, her drums, and various music-based paraphernalia, Gwen sits in her room while she converses with Miles and her new, interdimensional friends. Suddenly, her father, George, knocks on the door.

“Gwen? Can I speak to you for a minute?” he says behind the door.

Gwen panics as she quickly changes tabs on her computer. _Oh, crap_.

“Guys, hold on,” she whispers before she relaxes in her chair. “Yeah, Dad. Come in!”

George slowly opens the door. “Are you talking to your friends again?” he says before thinking about the name of Gwen’s band. “The…erm…”

“The Mary Janes?” says Gwen with a perky smile.

George nods before awkward silence fills the room. “…You’re not fighting with Em Jay again, are you?”

Gwen blushes from embarrassment, hoping Miles and the rest didn’t hear his words. “N-no, Dad. …Well, yeah, but I got over it!” She smiles. “I met a friend of Em Jay’s today.”

George’s face sports a weary look, looking at her daughter. “You did, huh?”

“Not like that! He and I talked and, thanks to him, I’m… _technically_ in a new band now. But it's different, I swear." 

Gwen sees her father frown, his furrowed brow highlighting his weathered face while he crosses his arms. “Is that right?” inquired George, his eyebrow cocked. “Don’t lie to me again…”

“Dad, it’s not about my hero stuff! I promise.”

“Sweetie, what did I say the last time I told you about keeping secrets?”

“I know!” Gwen groans. “But remember, Dad, I made a promise that if I kept my grades up, I could be in the Mary Janes.”

George nods. “I know.”

“And I _did!_ Remember?”

“I do. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

The Stacys share a look of recognition as silence fills the room again. Gwen tries to say something but stops herself, curling into a ball as she leans back in her chair.

“It’s okay, Dad. I’m alright. Nothing terrible’s going on, so don’t worry, alright?”

“In this world, sweetheart, I worry every day,” George says with a frown, his tone a bit tired from work. “It comes with the job.”

Gwen slowly nods. “I know. But _this_ band’s different from the Mary Janes. They’re, like, secret about planning concerts with rare events and everything! They’re very… ‘avant-garde’,” she gestures to her father.

George rears his head back before he nods. “Hm, I see. Like the Beatles, right?”

“Just like the Beatles,” Gwen says with a smile.

A faint smile of his own curls across George’s face. “Alright. Just remember that—”

“I know. I’ll be careful out there,” Gwen smiles.

“Good.” George slowly backs away. “Dinner will be ready soon. I made meatloaf.”

Gwen’s ears perk up at the sound of her father’s cherished dish. “Bacon-wrapped?”

Pleased that their talk isn’t like their usual back-and-forth bickering, George nods, loving the upbeat tone to his daughter’s voice. He lowers his head before looking at Gwen, grateful for a heart-to-heart moment like this.

“Maybe we can talk like this over a cup of coffee tomorrow,” George says. “What do you think? Starkbucks?”

Gwen beams, showing her toothy grin. “Sure, Dad. You’re the best.”

“Love you, Gwen,” George says with a smile before closing the door.

As she hears him heading down the stairs, Gwen takes a second to think about their conversation before reconnecting with the rest about her adventures. “I’m back, guys! Sorry about that.” The rest of her friends smile as Gwen connects the dots. “You guys…totally heard that, didn’t you?”

“Ain’t going to save some meatloaf for us, huh?” teases Miles as Gwen blushes.

“…I would, but not for you though.”

“Hey!”

“Kidding!” Gwen giggles. “Anyways, back to the story. We had to let A.I.M. know we weren’t going away. We _also_ had to figure out how to catch them red-handed. Planning it was kinda tricky…”

* * *

 

 _After A.I.M. and Finesse’s plan to divert the newly minted Champions’ attention away from their efforts succeeded, the four heroes met with Luke at his apartment in downtown Cincinnati._ _Gwen paced back and forth, upset and in one hell of a mood._

_“I can’t believe A.I.M. did that. …I can’t believe she did that! God, she’s annoying,” she said, referring to Finesse and her ego, burying her face in her hands. “All they’re doing is scaring us!”_

_Seol nodded as she sat in Luke’s couch, her fingers intertwined, her tone much like Gwen’s. “A.I.M. wouldn’t be the type to scare people or incite riots to cause panic. HYDRA usually does things like that.”_

_“HYDRA?” Gwen stopped, turning to Seol._

_“It’s a long story. Imagine the worst kind of people you can think of...”_

_Gwen kept her pace, but she rubbed her chin. “…Eminem fans?”_

_Still thinking about Jeanne, Mickey came to after hearing Gwen's words. He shook his head while he stared at her._

_Gwen shrugged. “What? …It’s true.”_

_Seol chuckled while Mickey scoffed dramatically. “Don’t worry about him. Anyways, HYDRA’s gone now, I think. I wouldn’t worry about them either.”_

_Gwen stepped forward, nodding with her hands on her hips. “Well, you know what, guys? I say we fight back…and I got a plan.”_

_Miles turned to her, rubbing the back of his neck. “You have a plan?”_

_“Yup!” Gwen nodded emphatically._

_Seol crossed her legs, leaning back on Luke’s couch. “Well, what is it?”_

_“We take them by surprise,” Gwen explained. “We’re here before them, right?” The rest nod. “Good! We know where the Stark Industries Center is. All we gotta do is to catch those guys trying to break in and get the drop on them when they least expect it.”_

_Seol shook her head with a worried look on her face._ _“It won’t be that easy, Gwen. They’re efficient and ruthless. And with the Sokovia Accords, we can’t be able to do a lot, I’m afraid…”_

_Hearing their conversation, Mickey piped in as he remained sitting on the couch, his posture slouched. “With A.I.M. coming back, we can’t take chances and let things become worse,” he said to Seol, shaking his head. “We can’t, Seol. We gotta stop it. If we don't, who will?”_

_Seol frowned, slowly nodding her head in agreement._

_Miles nodded. “Yeah, totally agree with you, man,” he said to Mickey. “But what if the lady with the laser eyes shows up again?”_

_Bringing out some refreshments, Luke entered the living room with a stunned expression on his face. “Laser eyes?”_

_“Yeah. She’s stronger than she looked, too. She was holding back, but it’s probably because they got what they came for back in Cali.”_

_With a worried look on his face, Luke started to come up with a plan._ _“…I’m guessin’ you need a distraction.”_

_The superheroes nodded before Gwen gasped, snapping her fingers. “That’s it!”_

_“That’s it?” said everyone else, their expressions filled with varying levels of confusion._

_“Yeah! The perfect distraction. We might need to practice…and it’s going to take a bit of time. Maybe some planning, a few phone calls, and a bit of luck, too, but I got it!”_

* * *

“Wait.” Confused, Jenny frowns, shrugging her shoulders. “What was the distraction?”

Gwen smiles. “We confuse them with music in Stark Industries before we catch them with a surprise attack. It _all_ started with a surprise concert in the park!”

Jenny blinks. “Are you serious?" She watches Gwen nod. "Heh, you’re kidding, right?”

“Nope! The rest thought it wouldn’t work, too. To be honest, I kinda believed them,” Gwen replies, shrugging her shoulders. “But if it worked when I started in the Mary Janes, why wouldn’t it work for us, y’know?”

Jenny leans back. “The Mary Janes? What's that?”

“It’s her rock band. Her _famous_ rock band,” Miles explains. “They’re famous in my universe too, so I was kinda surprised. And with Seol as Luna Snow, we thought it was a nice idea.”

Gwen nods. “It was either that or let A.I.M. win, so we all agreed on it.”

“Yeah. We had to practice for our first song, but Seol and Gwen were all over it. Seol kept us in check, though,” Miles adds, chuckling to himself while Gwen shakes her head.

Mickey’s friends turn to Seol as she smiles, bowing her head.

“Well, I can’t take all the credit. Besides, it was… _tough_ working with them at first. I had to…” Seol pauses, trying to come up with a suitable phrase. “…‘knock some heads around’, right? Sorry, it’s tough for me not to say that in Korean. But at first, they said I was difficult.”

“Why?” Katherine says with a curious expression. Seol tries to reply, but her bandmates answer for her.

“She’s a bit of a diva,” they all reply as she gasps.

“잠깐만! _(Wait a minute!)_ No, I’m not! I just…I have high standards, that’s all!” Seol blushes, crossing her arms before seeing her bandmates disagree silently. She looks at Miles displaying a sheepish smile on his face. “You too?”

Miles laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as Seol frowns. “We—” He quickly spots Ava staring daggers at him before he corrects himself. “A little bit…”

“Miles! I wasn’t even hard on you!”

“Sorry! But, hey, I didn’t know you sang my favourite song like that! You were awesome!”

“What song?” Katherine says.

The band collectively turns to Miles as he grins. “ _Sunflower._ ”

Ava tilts her head in surprise. “That song’s released in your world?”

“Yeah! It’s pretty good. But, you know, I kinda liked our take on it. It was weird but it sounded cool. I was nervous when it was time to start…”

Seol smiles sheepishly. "You weren't the only one that day, Miles."

* * *

  _As the skies in Cincinnati shifted in colour, the mid-afternoon became interesting for onlookers at a nearby park. They watched Gwen and the rest set up their instruments as a small number of people gathered around them._

 _Clutching the microphone, Seol sighed, closing her eyes. ‘_ _당신은_ _이걸_ _할_ _수_ _있다_ _._ _(You can do this.)’_

 _N_ _ow as Luna, she turned to her fellow bandmates._ _Each of them smiled back as Grey leaned close to her ear._

_"It’s alright to be nervous,” she whispered. “Let’s just have some fun…and kick some ass.”_

_Luna chuckled and nodded before turning to the curious crowd. “Hey, guys! Good afternoon. I’m Luna Snow,” she said timidly with a wave, staring at one of the people pointing towards her in recognition._

_‘Why am I still nervous?’ Luna wondered before she looked back at Gwen. As Gwen gave a thumbs-up for support, Luna continued._

_“I…We’re…starting something new and we thought you might enjoy our first surprise concert.” Luna pointed to the name of their band, styled in beautiful graffiti art done by Miles. “We’re People Like Us and we hope you enjoy our little concert. Here’s our cover of an upcoming song called ‘Sunflower’.”_

* * *

Katherine politely interrupts the story. “Wait. Did you say _People Like Us?_ I heard that name before…”

Mickey nods. “Yeah, that’s because when Duke talked about how we started to work together…” He nodded to Gwen. “Gwen said that line and it came to me. I talked about it and we liked it.”

“I know, I know. But…I swear I heard that name before…” Katherine suddenly gasps, taking out her phone. She reveals a picture of five fashionable individuals with stylish masks to the group. “These guys?!”

“Hey!” Mickey beams with a nod, pointing to the picture as his bandmates nod. “Yeah, we’ll get to the masks later. We had a _lot_ of fun with that photo—”

“What the fuck, Mickey?! And you didn’t _tell_ me?”

“Hey, hey! Just because I cuss a lot, doesn’t mean you have to. Not in my house." Mickey sees an annoyed Katherine cross her arms. "…But, yeah, I couldn’t tell ya. Didn't want A.I.M. to come here and kill ya. Sorry.”

Slowly recognizing the name, Jenny leans back. “Damn. …I guess I should apologize for calling your masks lame. But your covers are pretty good—Hey, wait!” She taps Ava’s shoulder before pointing to Seol. “I _knew_ that voice sounded familiar!”

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seol smiles, shaking her head mischievously.

Giddy, Miles ends the short conversation. “Hold on, guys, hold on! Lemme tell you guys what happened next!”

* * *

  _Luna counted the band down, nodding to Miles and Gwen. “3…2…1…and…”_

_With the Spiders leading the way, the band’s first cover began. Gwen’s drumming started, her steady rhythm leading Miles into his turntabling. On the ones and twos, he set the stage as Luna started to sing._

_“ **…Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy…** ”_

_The butterflies in their stomachs unfurled into a whirlwind, creating an anxious yet uplifting feeling while Luna’s crooning got them into the groove._

_“ **…Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…** ”_

_As the nerves went away, so did their fears._

_“ **…Ayy, ayy…ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…** ”_

_Gwen was home on the drums, playing them with a level of zeal that impressed even Miles as he nodded to the beat behind the ones and twos. As Luke slapped the bass with a content grin, Luna’s powerful voice and Grey’s strumming followed as the song went underway._ _With the audience enthralled, the band found their groove as the chorus kicked in..._

_“ **…Then you're left in the dust unless I stuck by ya…** ”_

_And not long after that, the people in the park began to form a crowd, intrigued by the thought of Luna Snow branching out. But as the crowd grew and watched, they noticed each member of the new band getting into their zones._

_They saw Gwen as an ace on the drums, the adrenaline from their cover highlighted by her smile._

_"_... **You're** _ **a sunflower, I think your love would be too much…** "_

_They noticed Miles and his beaming grin as he did a little shimmy behind the turntables._

_The crowd watched Luke and Grey doing their thing on the bass and electric guitars, captivated by Grey’s backup vocals._

_“ **…Or you'll be left in the dust unless I stuck by ya…** ”_

_Finally, they noticed Luna._

_“ **…You're the sunflower,**_ ** _너는_** **_sunflower…_** _”_

_Using a bit of Korean and even a few of her K-Pop moves, the crowd watched with awe as Luna got into the groove, lost in the music._

_All in all, the band incorporated a bit of themselves into the song, making it a cover all their own. Despite their responsibilities, their duties, and their fears, the band relished a simple moment jamming together as bandmates…and new friends._

_A few minutes and a nice guitar outro from Grey later, their first cover was over._

_A sense of dread and curiosity were all over the band members’ faces as each of them took in the adrenaline-fueled performance. Warm and buzzing with a feeling they never felt before, each of them took in the silence as they collected themselves._

_Luna closed her eyes and before she thanked the audience, she heard their applause as they cheered._

* * *

 

Jenny pauses, a stunned smile on her face. “Damn…”

Seol nods with a smile, mirroring Jenny’s wonder. “I’ve always had a love of music, but I’ve never been in a rock band before,” she says, reminiscing about the event. Leaning back in her chair, Seol smiles. “I’ve never even _experienced_ something like that before. It was incredible.”

The bandmates agree with a nod and a chuckle, each of them fondly remembering their day at the park as Seol continues.

“Just like Gwen said, it took a bit of practice. But there’s nothing like hearing people love your music. After a song, a...performance like that? You get this buzzing feeling all over your body.”

Ava and Jenny look at the band, completely in awe at the band’s recollection of their events. Katherine, however, is intrigued as she looks at Mickey and Grey’s bandmates.

“Did people cheer for an encore after that?” she says to Miles.

Miles chuckles. “Yeah! I gotta admit I had the biggest smile on my face when I heard their cheering,” he replies. “I was excited, man! We covered one more song and it was over.”

“Tell ‘em about Stark Industries,” Luke says before eating a potato chip. “Let ‘em know why we had that concert.”

“Oh, yeah! Thanks for reminding us.” Gwen grins wide with a knowing wink to Luke. “Well, I’m gonna skip ahead to our first night as ‘a team’. After we performed our encore, we made some calls and Stark Industries let us do our thing. A.I.M. didn’t know it, but we had a little… ‘welcoming party’ for them.”

* * *

 

_It was a cool evening as a cadre of A.I.M. forces infiltrated the Stark Industries Center in the heart of Cincinnati’s Central Business District._

_Pushing past security with their new and advanced gadgetry, the team of scientist-troopers assembled in front of the building’s doors before one of them fired at it two specialized pistols, creating acid to weaken and nullify their structural integrity._

_One of the officers, the wielder of the pistols, stepped in front of the rest, her tone blunt._

_“Alright, you heard Swan’s orders…” However, as soon as the A.I.M. forces crept their way inside, the trap was sprung. “Make sure…you…hey, what’s going on?”_

_Suddenly, the officers heard cheering and raucous music from the loudspeakers; the drums and turntables are constant, the guitars are powerful, Luna's vocals powerful and expressive with Grey and Luke backing her up.  
_

_“ **…** **You'll never see it coming...you'll see that our minds are too fast for your eyes...you're done in...By the time it's hit you, our last surprise**... **"**_

_As the song blasted through the speakers with Luna singing the chorus, obscuring mist started to form around the A.I.M. forces, oblivious to find their legs being webbed by Miles’ web blasts._

_“W-what’s going on?!” the pistol-wielder said, her voice shaky. The group suddenly spotted their weapons being encased by Grey’s spheres of sound, seeing them being tossed away. “Who’s there?!”_

_Suddenly, the A.I.M. officer whipped her head around to see Gwen, Luna, and Miles – all in their superhero attire – standing defiant in front of them. After hearing a scream, the officer noticed one of her allies being kicked through the air by Grey, making her presence known with her and Mickey's functional superhero costume, inspired by the latter's streetwear._

_“We’re here, you silly mortal," Sidechain smirked through Mickey’s visor before turning and nodding her head to Luna._

_Luna grinned, walking up to the A.I.M. officer. "Wanna know our response?” She turned to Spider-Woman. “Spider-Woman?”_

_Through her mask, Spider-Woman smiled happily before raising an eyebrow, cracking her knuckles as she made her way to the fearful A.I.M. soldier._

_The officer, literally frozen in her boots, panicked. “Please. I…I…”_

_“Relax, we're not gonna kill you and your friends." Spider-Woman cocked her fist back. “Friendly neighbourhood tip, though: you should probably buy a cold compress for this…”_

* * *

 

Gwen sighs happily, her hands behind her head. “It was over…just like that! The scientists were arrested by the Cincinnati Police Department and we enjoyed our night with some Korean BBQ. Miles and I had the perfect plan!”

Luke chimes in, shrugging his shoulders in disbelief. “Gwen…”

“But Luke, man, you kicked it off. I wish you could’ve seen it.”

Ava gasps, tapping Jenny on the shoulder. “That’s why that scene was all over the news. We thought Spider-Man had some help or something.”

Jenny smirks. “Yeah. I didn’t know you guys were taking our jobs." She watches Ava shake her head and shrugs. "Oh, yeah, just remembered something! The news said they heard music when they caught those guys! …I guess that was you guys.”

Gwen nods. “People in your dimension thought it was Spider-Man listening to us while he kicked some ass. That’s how we started to make a name for ourselves.”

Before anyone else started to talk, Seol checks the time.

“Guys, isn’t it evening where you guys are? Let’s talk some more tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it’s late over there.”

The group nods as Mickey’s friends say goodbye to the rest before Ava and Jenny leave, ready to continue their talk tomorrow. Katherine followed behind to see them off, ordering take-out for her and her stepbrother. As Mickey starts to leave and enjoy the evening, Seol catches his attention.

“Mickey?”

Mickey turns around. “Yo? What’s up?” he says with a smile.

Seol leans forward, her heterochromatic eyes staring him down. “If there’s something wrong, you don't have to protect us. You're here for us, we're here for you." Mickey nods. "So, tell me. What did you do against those robbers? Are you in trouble?"

Mickey pauses, his worries overriding his willingness to tell Seol the truth. “I...I don't know,” he replies, a weak smile masquerading his doubts. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

Seol frowns, seemingly recognizing Mickey's hesitation. "Alright. ...If anything happens, let me know. Please?”

“…I'll try to." Mickey smiles. "Thanks.”

Seol slowly nods with a worried smile of her own. "Good night, dummy.”

“Have a nice day, Snowball," Mickey chuckles, shaking his head.

Wishing each other well before Mickey spends time with Katherine, the two friends say goodbye, excited for tomorrow's events...whatever they might be.


End file.
